University of Pretoria (UP) PhD student and former UP staffer Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni, the producer and host of The Ultimate Book Show on SABC 3, is a remarkable and talented woman. She is the author of the award-winning children’s book Wanda (2019); was the ambassador for World Read Aloud Day 2021; and has been recognised as a young achiever by the Mail & Guardian (The M&G 200 young South Africans in the category Film & Media).

On Sunday, 14 May 2023, Nontshokweni will showcase a documentary she wrote and produced, called uNobuntu, which has won an international award at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival.

The documentary captures the moment when Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni’s (right) mother, Nombeko (left), discovers the completed book for the first time, in front of the camera.

The emotional relevance of this personal family story, which is about the tender bonds between mothers and their daughters, is sure to touch hearts. Nontshokweni explains, “My siblings and I discovered that after our mother had lost her first child, uNobuntu, in 1983, she started writing poetry in isiXhosa to allay her grief. She continued writing over the past 25 years, but was unable find a publisher for her collection of poetry.” Then, during the pandemic, Nontshokweni organised a development editor and they worked through the manuscript and in September 2022, the documentary was filmed. The documentary captures the moment when Nontshokweni’s mother, Nombeko, discovers the completed book for the first time, in front of the camera.

View the trailer for uNobuntu

Nontshokweni wrote, “I admire and am inspired by the black men and women who, despite the absence of enabling structures to support their writing, ideas and literary contributions, continue(d) writing their stories, which urgently need to be told. These conversations with several black women writers on The Ultimate Book Show opened my eyes so I would see my mother’s story more clearly. I sincerely hope that more young Africans will ‘go in search of our mothers’ gardens’, trace their giftedness and appreciate that we come from a lineage of intellectual and creative wealth. To understand that though we are born free we are not a new burst of brilliance, we come from it.”

This heart-warming and emotional film is fitting for Mothers' Day and is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the beauty of family connections.

Make sure you are at the Johannesburg Theatre on Sunday, 14 May 2023. Book your ticket now at Computicket. 

You can contact Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni at +27 72 345 5852, or visit her at Wanda World, via https://calendly.com/mtibiri or at The Ultimate Book Show.