The Marabi Dance

The Marabi Dance is a striking coming-of-age tale following aspiring singer, Martha, as she falls in love with the illicit, underground culture of Marabi music in 1930s South Africa. Originally banned from publication, Modikwe Dikobe's novel defiantly captures the social climate of South Africa in the years before apartheid.

Growing up in the slums of Johannesburg, Martha is fascinated by the lively sounds of Marabi music, with its jazz influences, vibrant style, and African rhythms. But while her passion for parties, singing, and dancing is shared by her own generation, her parents can only see a dangerous underworld full of gangs and violence.

To make matters worse, her crush on the handsome and talented Marabi musician, George, is developing into something more - despite her father's plans to marry her off to her cousin. Stuck at an impassable bridge between two very different generations, Martha struggles to see a future for herself without betraying either her parents' or her own desires.

'It's beauty is in the caring of the characters for one another; and in the subtle slow paced encounters... Novels as emotionally true as this about South Africa are rare.' Ros de Lanerolle