Two young women who have written a book of poetry held a launch for it at a Muizenberg art gallery on Sunday.
Toni Erasmus and Cindy Jacobs have been friends since they met some 13 years ago in Sunday school at St Anne’s Catholic Church in Steenberg.
Together they have written Sunset and Waterfalls, a compilation of 300 poems with 300 accompanying line-art illustrations by Carter Constant, of Steenberg, depicting key moments in the authors’ lives.
Melene Rossouw, co-founder and director of the Women Lead Movement, was the keynote speaker at the launch at Gallery South. She described Ms Jacobs, a gender and human rights activist, and Ms Erasmus, an entrepreneur and public relations specialist, as young leaders with the empathy needed to bring about meaningful change.
“‘We want to empower African-born women, children and families in the courageous pursuit of self-knowledge, healing and to overcome traumatic experiences and heartbreak,” said Ms Erasmus.
Ms Jacobs said they also wanted to help people become activists for change in their communities.
“Sunset and Waterfalls represents the journey of self-examination that leads to enlightenment, healing and evolution of the human soul,” Ms Rossouw said.
“Our history has undeniably been deeply cruel and inhumane. As South Africans, we have reached a point where we must recognise and acknowledge the individual and collective traumas of our past and find practical ways of healing.“
Senior Pastor Desray van Rensburg, from Christ Nation International, and her husband, Apostle José van Rensburg, attended the launch, as did Father Philip Mangatt, parish priest of St Anne’s, and Bradley van Reenen, a pastor at the New Hope Church in Retreat and founder of I am Passion, a not-for-profit organisation working with dynamic youth.
Ms Erasmus was mentored by Mr Van Reenen and has been part of the Idea Warehouse entrepreneur programme he created during lockdown.
Visit www.sunsetsandwaterfalls.com for more information about the book.
