Presenting voices rarely heard, some recorded as early as the mid-nineteenth century, as well as rediscovered gems by well-known authors such as Bessie Head and Doris Lessing, this landmark collection reveals a living cultural legacy that will revolutionise the understanding of African women’s literary and cultural production.

The texts – ranging from communal songs and folktales to letters, diaries, political petitions, court records, poems, essays, and fiction – demonstrate the critical role played by women in cultural continuity and resistance to oppression in six countries in the region: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe