Buhle Ngaba

Do black women have a voice and if so are they being heard?
My father always told me being a black woman puts me at an advantage but why aren't we being heard?

I have voice and you will hear it. However I fear that my peers aren't being heard and I fear that one day my daughter won't be heard.

We spend days crying for black female representation in society. So why don't we become the representation? Who are we waiting for?
Actress Buhle Ngaba is the author of The Girl Without A Sound and is writing her way into representation.

Tired of reading "stories of white princesses with blue eyes, flowing locks of hair and an awareness of their beauty", Ngaba put pen to paper and wrote the book that you should be reading as Grade 1 homework.

As the title would suggest, the mixed medium book tells the story of a young girl on the journey to find her own sound.
The book doesn't come with sound but if you can hear colour, then the illustrations by Thozama Mputa will aid you in hearing her sounds. The landscape architecture student used acrylic paint to illustrate Neo Baepi's photographs.

The black and white photographs together with the colourful illustrations compliment the language rich writing which opens up your imagination. Because it isn't your ordinary cat sat on the mat copy, some might think it's too advanced for younger minds. But if we can't teach our children to think in colour from a young age, how and when will they start forming their own sounds?

If the art and copy of the book doesn't inspire you to create your own sound, then the work of Buhle's team will. More than ever, South Africa needs unsung heroes to become our heroes.

No matter your race or age, The Girl Without A Sound is a must read by all those who enjoy art and the art of writing.

Girl Without A Sound Featuring Mkia Milosevic and Noxolo Mafu is available on the 24th of February 2016 at girlwithoutasound.com Written by Buhle Ngaba Edited by Sarah Koopman Photograped by Neo Baepi Illustrated by Thozama Mputa Designed by Ryan Haynes PR and Communications by Tamlyn van Heerden: info@girlwithoutasound.com