Want to have your mind altered? Read! - UP's annual Mind-Altering Books event

On Monday, 9 October 2023, the University of Pretoria community once again had the opportunity to hear from our panel of academics as speakers at the event, who told us which book titles each of them would say have “blown their minds.”

Approximately 40 attendees were present in person and another 14 joined in online to hear Professor Zitha Mokomane (Sociology), Dr Rory du Plessis (Art), Dr Mercy Mujakachi (English) and Dr Trish Cooper (Centre for Language Learning) share their thoughts at the Graduate Centre venue. Expertly moderated by Professor Molly Brown from the Department of English, this latest session once again convinced us that reading changes one for the better.

Professor Zitha Mokomane said that she seldom reads for pleasure, being mostly focused on research in her discipline, but that she happily came across “Yesterday, I Cried” by Iyanla Vanzant some years ago. The book has 19 chapters that she still feels are relevant and can be recommended to others. The title refers to the moments when one can acknowledge the pain of an experience but begin to learn how to grow past it.

Professor Zitha Mokomane showing her mind-altering book to the crowd. 

“Black Butterflies”, an anthology of Ingrid Jonker’s poems as translated into English, contains the two poems that Dr Rory du Plessis used to bring a powerful message. He first read “The Child” (Die Kind), focusing on how through a certain lens, a specific aspect, time, or event can be highlighted and others can be ignored, neglected or forgotten. This skews how we perceive something. Illustrating by pointing to the actual event that sparked the author’s writing of “Die Kind” – the killing of a child by soldiers in Nyanga – he pointed out that even though the event itself had long since passed, the poem was not forgotten. In 1994 it was read aloud by former President Nelson Mandela for the world to hear. Referring to Jonker’s documented history of mental illness, with which he engaged in his cross-disciplinary research, Du Plessis then read “Escape” (Ontvlugting), about Jonker's need to escape the Valkenburg asylum. Du Plessis had a choice whether to remember the poems and the poet, or the one-sided psychiatric case that was Ingrid Jonker. The audience was reminded that mental illness can often be a lens through which people are viewed one-sidedly, but that there are more aspects to them than the illness. Words have wings and can be free – free to continue living, even though the poet has lost the fight against mental illness and committed suicide – and can influence others.

Dr Rory du Plessis reading the translated poems. 

Dr Mercy Mujakachi chose a biography. “The Abduction and Trial of Jestina Mukoko: the Fight for Human Rights in Zimbabwe”, by Jestina Mukoko. This biography underscores the importance of writing down the truth so that others can be inspired and emboldened to stand up and fight for what is right. Mukoko had to fight the then government (by which she had been abducted, tortured and incarcerated) in court. Her story, and the biographies of other brave human rights activists, can inspire further generations.

Dr Mercy Mujakachi holds aloft Mukoko's biography. 

Dr Trish Cooper, the final speaker, spoke about “March Violets”. This book is one of a series of 14 books by Philip Kerr. The main character is Bernie Gunther, an anti-Nazi, ex-cop turned private investigator, living in Germany during the Second World War. She was struck by the detailed research that Kerr had incorporated into the stories and found that this had raised for her the question of how an ordinary man manages to live in such times. The audience was further invited to ponder how, even though Adolf Hitler had written down his ideas in “Mein Kampf”, he had not been stopped from executing many of them. A powerful reminder that we have a responsibility to take notice of what is happening – among others by reading - and not to be caught by surprise.

The final speaker, Dr Trish Cooper addressing the audience. 

The Department of English and the Department of Library Services’ collaboration in this series of annual talks on remarkable books has once again not failed to impress. We encourage you to join us next year in September for the next instalment!