THEMBE'S CLOTH

Suggested discussion questions:

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Have you read other novels about South Africa? What are your favorites? How do the themes in Thembe's Cloth compare or contrast with other books in the genre of novels about South Africa?

 

Fear is a constant emotion in the book. What kinds of fears do different characters confront? How do they deal with their fears? What does fear make people do? Discuss in the context of individuals and in a broader sense, including the authors reflections on what causes governments, like the South African Apartheid government, to oppress people.

 

How do the characters feel about Apartheid? How does their awareness and political stance evolve through the book? Kristi? Thembe? Ellen? Joseph? Which characters make the most impactful change?

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What lessons did the characters learn over the years? Ellen? Kristi? Joseph? Thembe?

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Harrison only appears in the first few chapters of the book, but he is a dominant character throughout. How does Harrison drive the story forward?

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Ancestors are very important in Thembe's Cloth. Discuss the role of ancestors, family ties, and relationships.

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The female characters in Thembe's Cloth are strong and well-developed. Who do you like the most? Who changes or evolves the most through the story? Whose life makes you the most happy, or the most sad? Why do you think the men in the book are not as important of characters as the women? Do you think this changes from the first part of the book to the last?

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Childhood friendships are often lost, no matter how deep they are. Talk about Kristi and Thembe. What were the obstacles for them to staying connected? How deep do you think their connection was? Do you think it was felt equally between them? Do you have a friendship like the one between these two characters?

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Parents' dreams for their children are the product of their own experiences and their view of the world. Talk about the young adults in the book, and how their childhoods were different from what their parents envisioned, and how they manage their transition into adulthood. Did the final third of the book surprise you?

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Discuss Kristi: what kind of child was she, and how did she grow up? Was she sheltered? What do you think her understanding of South Africa's Apartheid was as a child, and how did it change as she matured?

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Thembe's cloth - the embroidered squares - depicted the story of Thembe's life. How do you imagine it to look? Do you think it played a large enough part in the story? Do you like the way it became part of Thembe's "rebirth" as a performer?

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The characters' direct confrontations with the South African Apartheid government and its agents are very brief. How are the police portrayed? How are politics injected into the storyline? Do you think Apartheid was integral to the plot. Talk about how the relationships between the characters was affected by Apartheid. 

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Discuss how each girls awareness of the difference in their socio-racial position begins, and how it changes as they mature. Do you think that either felt guilt (Kristi) or resentment (Thembe)? What about the friendship between Joseph and Sebastian? Do you know enough about the boys' relationship? What were the differences between the two friendships?

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What is the difference between a global experience and the experience of everyday life? Discuss how "regular people" can live in turbulent times and not directly experience trauma, or have very minimal awareness of crises, political, economic, or other.

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Thembe's Cloth has been criticized as South African "apologist" literature. What do you think? Is it possible for people's lives to be very removed from overt political action? Do you think it is possible to deeply love your country and not love its social and political agendas? How much of our lives is impacted by where we live?

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Discuss how Apartheid in South Africa is like or different from slavery or Jim Crow in the United States.

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Does Thembe's Cloth add to or change the things you know about South Africa? Does it change the way you think?

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At its core, Thembe's Cloth is a book about friendship. Do you think it succeeds at portraying an authentic friendship? Is it believable? Is there a difference between friendship and sisterhood? How deeply do you think Thembe's and Kristi's friendship was impacted by Apartheid, or its aftermath, at different stages in their lives? Do you think their friendship prevailed?

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