I wrote this anthology for young people to give them a view, through poetry, of our history in South Africa and to capture the tensions between city and wilderness, war and peace, oppression and the struggle for freedom.

I drew many images from the Eastern Cape landscape, the streets of Cape Town and the war-damaged regions of Angola and Mozambique. I highlighted such issues as the indiscriminate use of land mines and the cruel, enforced deployment of child soldiers.

My poems reflect important historical events such as Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the detention of Chief Maqoma on Robben Island and the first democratic election in South Africa.

Black-and-white photographs drawn from various archives and collections illustrate the poems. Extensive footnoting places them in an historical context.

This poetry collection has been prescribed for and successfully used by many schools and stimulated good debate in classrooms. It is cross-curricular and easy to teach with, in both history and English classes.

Suitable for young people aged 10 - 15 and as a teacher's resource book.