The games we played. 14. Kennetjie. (Pronounced “kennekee”)
THE GAMES WE PLAYED. Kennetjie – kennekee. It’s been a while since I wrote about the games we played. I’ve been asked to write again...
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Welcome
Shadley Fataar
Blogger & author of the trilogy,
In The Shadow of Table Mountain,
Cape Town
Bio
About Shadley ...
Shadley Fataar lived under the yoke of apartheid in Cape Town, South Africa.
His politically formative teens began with the 1960 police-shooting deaths of 69 Sharpeville anti-pass law protestors. Two of his activist Livingstone High School teachers were imprisoned on infamous Robben Island, while three others were banned, including his father, Alie Fataar who escaped into exile as did two colleagues.
Following his return to Cape Town after working in a Zululand mission hospital, he witnessed escalating police brutality in Cape Town following over 100 Soweto student deaths in 1976.
Shadley has also lived in Kuwait, New Zealand and Oman, and now has 50 academic papers to his name. From 2000 to 2005 he reported on local running, scuba-diving and expatriate golf for the Oman Times.
His nearly completed trilogy of South African socio-political thrillers, 'In the Shadow of Table Mountain, Cape Town' offers insights to how more deaths resulted from poverty, ill health and crime than repressive police violence and attempted insurrection. His opus concludes with South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.
The semi-retired radiologist now spends more time as a writer than a doctor in Coffs Harbour, Australia. He has been a member of the Coffs Harbour Writers Group since 2006.
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Reviews
What others say about Book 1, Fury and Revenge in Cape Town
In Fury and Revenge in Cape Town, Fataar gives us a terrific crime novel while he takes his readers on a gritty, no-holds-barred ride
through the streets of Cape Town during the student uprising in 1976. His characters and settings create an intense, confronting story where the line between good and evil becomes blurred. Personal strife, communal hardship and a country torn apart by apartheid form an intriguing landscape. Throw into the mix a dedicated vigilante, a charismatic doctor and a determined detective, and you have an insightful glimpse into a volatile Cape Town as world-changing events unfold.
Rosalie Skinner, author of the eight-book science fiction and fantasy series, The Chronicles of Caleath.
Fataar's novel describes in consummate detail the day-to-day experiences of people living through a time of significant social change. Located in apartheid South Africa, his characters reflect the trauma
of living under an oppressive system and the heroism associated with opposition thereto. Readers will find the story entertaining, suspenseful and informative, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Professor William Pick, Ex-head of the School of Public Health at University of the Witwatersrand; Honorary Professor at UCT; Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University. Author of The Slave has Overcome and Ten Turbulent years.
A gripping novel with not only mystery at its core, but also lived experience of institutionalised
racial segregation in South Africa. The real-life issues of apartheid are brought into focus through the
story of a committed local doctor and his role in the violent events that unfold in his fractured
community. Shadley Fataar has first-hand knowledge and experience of practising medicine in this troubled, dangerous environment and uses his considerable story-telling skills to weave an unforgettable novel.
Leonie Henscke, Author and former Managing Editor, Angus and Robertson Publishers, Australia and UK.
In South Africa during the Apartheid years, brutality was enforced, hate encouraged, and violence applauded. Fataar's Fury and Revenge in Cape Town gives voice to the trauma experienced by so many, and the effects apartheid had (and still has) on that society.
Marion Van Dyk, Author of the memoir, Under the Skin.
What others say about Book 2, Toyi-toyi, Cape Town's War Dance
Book Two of the trilogy, ‘In the Shadow of Table Mountain’, continues Shadley Fataar’s confronting novels set in the racially segregated, brutal, apartheid era in South Africa. In his gripping story, real life issues, true historical events and settings are given voice through fictional protagonists from different worlds.
Shadley Fataar again brings confronting realism to the brutal images. Amidst these graphic depictions are lyrical passages describing the hauntingly beautiful countryside around Cape Town. The cruel oppression has bred violence against a backdrop of much beauty.
Shadley Fataar’s skillful story-telling, has woven a plot revealing the passions and motivations of activists with the significant historical events of the time.
Leonie Henscke, Author and former Managing Editor, Angus and Robertson Publishers, Australia and UK.
In Toyi-Toyi, Cape Town's War Dance, Shadley Fataar writes with heartfelt realism to convey the frustration, fear, determination and courage of the people living in oppressive apartheid in Cape Town during the 80s.
The reader can identify with his characters and their predicament. We follow four main characters as their frustration, anger and determination force them to react to oppressing circumstances. The story intrigues us as lives intertwine. As readers, we cannot fail to empathise with every challenge his characters face. In this novel Shadley takes our emotions on a journey of hope and resilience. Some of the content is dark and oppressive, as apartheid was!
This gripping, gritty story reflects real life, real drama, real courage and the reactions of real people in historically accurate circumstances.
Rosalie Skinner, author of the eight-book series, The Chronicles of Caleath.
What others say about Book 3, Cape Town's Necklaces of Fire
In the third gripping novel of the trilogy, In the Shadow of Table Mountain, violence reaches a crescendo. Extremist, inhuman racial segregation has bred insensitivity to cruelty in all sections of South African society.
Shadley Fataar, with experience as a doctor in this fractured community, gives pivotal issues and true historical events expression through strong characters. Again, the author’s masterful storytelling skills bring to light this unforgettable period in our modern history.
Leonie Henschke, Writer, and former Managing Editor at Angus & Robertson Publishers.
In Cape Town’s Necklaces of Fire, we return to a city in the tumultuous months after Mandela’s release from prison. A groundswell of hope grows; an end to apartheid seems possible, but Cape Town suffers a backlash of violence.
The characters display a heroism needed to cope with ever present violence. We are drawn into their lives, confronted by their fears, passion, secrets and belief in a better future. We watch them live, love, learn, teach, grow, appreciate moments of beauty, survive moments of trauma and hopefully survive the challenges they face.
Fataar writes with gritty realism, providing a concise and graphic insight into each character’s driving passions and deepest secrets. Throughout, we are aware of historic events and their impact on these individual’s lives and hopes.
Rosalie Skinner, author of the eight-book series, The Chronicles of Caleath.
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