Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida reaches best seller status with her new book
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
Usually the young women who over the years have snatched the Miss South African crown are generally speaking, all smart, well educated and well prepared for a fruitful life after the crown.
However the current Miss South Africa, whose reign will end next month in October when a new Miss South Africa will be crowned emerging from the 10 finalists, has already set the bar high, intellectually . She seems to be in a class of her own, If the truth be told. And this in no way is to suggest that the others were not smart, but it is just that one has chosen an intellectually stimulating path, and she is doing pretty well in that path.
Besides her campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues, a subject often associated with taboo in black communities, she has proven that she is a literary figure to watch out for.
Her debut book is being well received by the book market, as it has reached the best seller ranks, and is now in its second print, positioning her as one person the literary establishment needs to watch out for after her crown has ended. With the publication of Shudu Finds Her Magic, aimed at young readers and which deals with the issue of bulling among young learners at school, Shudufhadzo Musida is already claiming her stake in the country’s literary landscape.
“Musida is currently in Cape Town to promote Shudu Finds Her Magic. The book is already a best-seller. It only went into bookstores at the beginning of the month and a reprint has already been ordered. On Saturday she will be doing the following two book signings at 10h30 at Exclusive Books in Cavendish Square and at 14h30 at Exclusive Books at Canal Walk,” here publisher said yesterday in a statement.
Published by Jacana Media, Shudu Finds Her Magic is available in six languages and includes colourful illustrations by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne.
The book, which is aimed at children aged between four and nine years of age, is inspired by Musida’s own childhood and the bullying she experienced when she moved to a new province and a new school.
Shudu Finds Her Magic – which retails at R95 – is available in Afrikaans (Shudu Vind Haar Sprankel), English (Shudu Finds Her Magic), Sesotho (Shudu O Sibolla Boikgetho ba hae), Venda (Shudu u wana Vhuṱolo Hawe), Xhosa (uShudu u Fumanisa ukuba UnoMlingo) and Zulu (uShudu Uthola Umlingo Wakhe).