Read of the Week

Full Moon Rising

Abu Bakr Solomons

Boeka Books

Review: Lindiwe Mlandu

Retired high school principal and Southfield resident Abu Bakr Solomons has self-published his second collection of poetry and photographs, Full Moon Rising.

His debut collection of poetry and photographs, A Season of Tenderness and Dread, was published in 2016.

The collection of 20 poems is a mixture of issues facing Cape Town and the broader South Africa.

In Bo Kaap, he writes about the controversial gentrification. You can sense his pain at what has been lost. He sympathises with the locals who have fallen prey to greedy developers.

In Spectre, Malmesbury he writes about the attack at a mosque where two worshippers were stabbed and killed in June 2018. The attacker, Nur Arawal, from Somalia, was shot dead by police. Following the attack, a Hawks investigation found no evidence of extremism.

It’s not all doom and gloom. In poem number 10, he writes about the importance of a smile. It is accompanied by a smiling woman wearing a white hat.

He closes it off with No work, Hout Bay Harbour. He writes about locals who are out of work and are forced to beg in order to feed their families.

This was after violent protests broke out over a misunderstanding regarding an anti-poaching operation.

If you are a Capetonian, you will relate to most of the poems.

It’s an easy read from someone who is deeply religious and is worried about the many challenges facing the country.

You can buy Full Moon Rising at the Book Shoppe in Tokai or by emailing abus@vodamail.co.za