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Hardly Working: A Travel Memoir of Sorts
Zukiswa Wanner sets off on an adventure-filled road trip with her partner and son. Travelling through six borders, on busses and on the backs of trucks, Wanner celebrates the 10 years since her debut novel, The Madams, was published by having a reading in as many countries as possible. Between protests against bond notes in Zimbabwe and celebrating her birthday, Wanner reconnects with good friends and gets the opportunity to give her son an African education that he’ll cherish for years to come.
224 pages
First published March 2, 2018
2 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Zukiswa Wanner
32 books86 followersBorn to a South African father and a Zimbabwean mother in Zambia, Zukiswa Wanner is the author of the novels The Madams (2006), Behind Every Successful Man (2008), Commonwealth and Herman Charles Bosman Award shortlisted Men of the South (2010). Her two children’s books Jama Loves Bananas and Refilwe will be out in October this year.
As an essayist she has written The Politics of Race, Class, and Identity in Education http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/3429/...
and 2011 Mail & Guardian’s book of Women Introductory essay , Being a Woman in South Africa http://bow2011.mg.co.za/essays/on-bei....
She co-edited Outcasts – a collection of short stories from Africa and Asia with Indian writer Rohini Chowdhury in 2012. Wanner is one of 66 writers in the world (with Wole Soyinka, Jeanette Winterson, and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, among others) to write a contemporary response to the Bible. The works were staged in London theatres and at Westminister Abbey in October 2011. 66 Books: 21st Century Writers Speak to the King James Version Bible’s proceeds benefit disadvantaged art students.
Wanner co-authored A Prisoner’s Home (2010), a biography on the first Mandela house 8115 Vilakazi Street with award-winning South African photographer Alf Kumalo as well as L’Esprit du Sport (2010) with French photographer Amelie Debray.
She is the founder of ReadSA - a writer-initiated campaign to get South Africans reading more African literature with a particular emphasis on donating locally-written books to school libraries (and where unavailable, start libraries) and was in the inaugural writing team for first South African radio soapie in English, SAFM’s Radio Vuka.
She has been a regular participant at the prime literary events in South Africa, Time of the Writer, Franschhoek Literary Festival and Cape Town Book Fair and has also participated in literary festivals in England (London Book Fair), Denmark, Germany (BIGSAS Festival of African Literature), Zimbabwe (Intwasa Arts Festival), Algeria (Algiers Book Fair), Norway and Ghana (Pan African Literary Festival). In addition to this, she has conducted workshops for young writers in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Denmark, Germany and Western Kenya.
Wanner has contributed articles to Observer, Forbes Africa, New Statesman, O, Elle, The Guardian, Africa Review, Mail & Guardian, Marie Claire, Real, Juice, Afropolitan, OpenSpace, Wordsetc, Baobab, Sunday Independent, City Press, & Sunday Times.
As an essayist she has written The Politics of Race, Class, and Identity in Education http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/3429/...
and 2011 Mail & Guardian’s book of Women Introductory essay , Being a Woman in South Africa http://bow2011.mg.co.za/essays/on-bei....
She co-edited Outcasts – a collection of short stories from Africa and Asia with Indian writer Rohini Chowdhury in 2012. Wanner is one of 66 writers in the world (with Wole Soyinka, Jeanette Winterson, and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, among others) to write a contemporary response to the Bible. The works were staged in London theatres and at Westminister Abbey in October 2011. 66 Books: 21st Century Writers Speak to the King James Version Bible’s proceeds benefit disadvantaged art students.
Wanner co-authored A Prisoner’s Home (2010), a biography on the first Mandela house 8115 Vilakazi Street with award-winning South African photographer Alf Kumalo as well as L’Esprit du Sport (2010) with French photographer Amelie Debray.
She is the founder of ReadSA - a writer-initiated campaign to get South Africans reading more African literature with a particular emphasis on donating locally-written books to school libraries (and where unavailable, start libraries) and was in the inaugural writing team for first South African radio soapie in English, SAFM’s Radio Vuka.
She has been a regular participant at the prime literary events in South Africa, Time of the Writer, Franschhoek Literary Festival and Cape Town Book Fair and has also participated in literary festivals in England (London Book Fair), Denmark, Germany (BIGSAS Festival of African Literature), Zimbabwe (Intwasa Arts Festival), Algeria (Algiers Book Fair), Norway and Ghana (Pan African Literary Festival). In addition to this, she has conducted workshops for young writers in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Denmark, Germany and Western Kenya.
Wanner has contributed articles to Observer, Forbes Africa, New Statesman, O, Elle, The Guardian, Africa Review, Mail & Guardian, Marie Claire, Real, Juice, Afropolitan, OpenSpace, Wordsetc, Baobab, Sunday Independent, City Press, & Sunday Times.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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March 13, 2018Review for the Sunday Times: http://bit.ly/2FKiW2N
~If the African school my son studied in would not offer Africa to him, we would give him Africa.~
~It's strange how one never worries about a driver breaking the speed limit when anxious to get somewhere at a certain time. ~
~A meal is as delicious as one's hunger. ~
~No Mzuzu is a big city…There is even a Shoprite.~
~If I ever write an African dictionary of English words, the word surreal will have the map of Malawi next to it, I swear ~
~[G]etting access to literature from a neighbouring African country tends to be tougher than it is to access books published abroad.~
~Prior to meeting Aunt Asenath and Ama, my young mind truly thought all African writers were men because they were the only ones talked about.~
~If the African school my son studied in would not offer Africa to him, we would give him Africa.~
~It's strange how one never worries about a driver breaking the speed limit when anxious to get somewhere at a certain time. ~
~A meal is as delicious as one's hunger. ~
~No Mzuzu is a big city…There is even a Shoprite.~
~If I ever write an African dictionary of English words, the word surreal will have the map of Malawi next to it, I swear ~
~[G]etting access to literature from a neighbouring African country tends to be tougher than it is to access books published abroad.~
~Prior to meeting Aunt Asenath and Ama, my young mind truly thought all African writers were men because they were the only ones talked about.~
June 8, 2018
Picked this up at the airport and Durban and devoured most of it on the flight to Cape Town. Wanner writes with humor and ease, like your best friend is telling you a hilarious story over drinks at the end of the day.
I didn’t understand all of the cultural and political references she made, but I loved reading an African travel memoir written by an African woman and I’ve written down some of the other writers and books she mentions to research. Here’s hoping we see Wanner and more African writers’ works available in the states.
I didn’t understand all of the cultural and political references she made, but I loved reading an African travel memoir written by an African woman and I’ve written down some of the other writers and books she mentions to research. Here’s hoping we see Wanner and more African writers’ works available in the states.
January 31, 2020
3.5 stars. Zukiswa Wanner and family set off on a road trip by bus from Nairobi to Johannesburg. Her observations on events and people along the way are sharp and amusing. The trip also includes stops in Denmark, Ukraine and Nigeria. A lovely travel memoir and a very good source for information on authors across the continent.
March 20, 2018
"Hardly Working", a real "travel memoir of sorts", all sorts of things.
Zukiswa recounts her 2 part traveling journey. 6 weeks of traipsing across Africa with her family and another almost 8 weeks in Europe on her own plus a few weeks back on African soil before going back home, Nairobi, to her family.
This is not "wax on wax off" of passport stamps. This here is a rich and detailed account, peppered with the history of all the countries travelled, an intimate account of how from Nairobi right through to Zimbabwe, where she celebrated her 40th birthday with friends and family, to how she values her connections, the support and love she shows to fellow writers without the "fear of diluting her voice"👀
Travelling across our continent is such a schlep. What is with the passport and visas??? Moving through the continent was too queue-y but the topography, history, generosity of the people's spirits and the food made up for all the time spent with immigration officials.
Hardly Working is an encyclopedia of authors. I counted over 35 authors, 10 of them I already knew, but finding out about the other 25, was priceless. And the literary festivals across Africa. Such exciting and valuable platforms for writers.
Zuki gives us a glimpse into her relationship with the two men in her life. Both as a family unit and her individual relationships with them. I loved the themes. They tied the stories together so well. "Mbeya Before Midnight", "Gulu After Midnight", "Europe At Dawn" and "Home At Midday". They gave time a timeless appeal. It's like she was gone and back in 60 seconds.
Zuki values and respects her friendships. She had friends in each country she visited, reconnected with them AND made new friends. A great supporter of literary events she went and participated in book fairs, joined a book club for a reading in Lusaka, ran a 4 day workshop and did readings in Johannesburg, South Africa, before jetting off to Kampala for Writivism Literary Festival then off to Denmark via Cairo.
Her account of the events after her invitation to Lviv Literary Festival in the Ukraine will have you in stitches. The Battle For The Visa ensued with the Ukrainian Embassy flatly denying her application, like really!!!! Then the drama at the Ukrainian border with Svetlana lookalikes!!!!!
When you work with passion, passion will work for you. Here's a black woman, writing full time, as in yes "it pays the bills", travelling the length and breadth of the continent with her family. Indulging in local fare, the arts, culture, landscapes, the history, the animals and still gets to fellowship in Scandinavian countries where moving across countries does not require a passport. PRICELESS
Dreams do come true. Travelling across Africa is not for other people's children only. Pick 4 countries. Save money. Pack light. Hop on a bus and have the time of your life.
Please, do not be like Zuki, check in. We will be cheering you on from the social media streets.
This is what 12 years of working on your thang looks like. An exceptionally written travel memoir with me, the reader , in mind.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🎤
Zukiswa recounts her 2 part traveling journey. 6 weeks of traipsing across Africa with her family and another almost 8 weeks in Europe on her own plus a few weeks back on African soil before going back home, Nairobi, to her family.
This is not "wax on wax off" of passport stamps. This here is a rich and detailed account, peppered with the history of all the countries travelled, an intimate account of how from Nairobi right through to Zimbabwe, where she celebrated her 40th birthday with friends and family, to how she values her connections, the support and love she shows to fellow writers without the "fear of diluting her voice"👀
Travelling across our continent is such a schlep. What is with the passport and visas??? Moving through the continent was too queue-y but the topography, history, generosity of the people's spirits and the food made up for all the time spent with immigration officials.
Hardly Working is an encyclopedia of authors. I counted over 35 authors, 10 of them I already knew, but finding out about the other 25, was priceless. And the literary festivals across Africa. Such exciting and valuable platforms for writers.
Zuki gives us a glimpse into her relationship with the two men in her life. Both as a family unit and her individual relationships with them. I loved the themes. They tied the stories together so well. "Mbeya Before Midnight", "Gulu After Midnight", "Europe At Dawn" and "Home At Midday". They gave time a timeless appeal. It's like she was gone and back in 60 seconds.
Zuki values and respects her friendships. She had friends in each country she visited, reconnected with them AND made new friends. A great supporter of literary events she went and participated in book fairs, joined a book club for a reading in Lusaka, ran a 4 day workshop and did readings in Johannesburg, South Africa, before jetting off to Kampala for Writivism Literary Festival then off to Denmark via Cairo.
Her account of the events after her invitation to Lviv Literary Festival in the Ukraine will have you in stitches. The Battle For The Visa ensued with the Ukrainian Embassy flatly denying her application, like really!!!! Then the drama at the Ukrainian border with Svetlana lookalikes!!!!!
When you work with passion, passion will work for you. Here's a black woman, writing full time, as in yes "it pays the bills", travelling the length and breadth of the continent with her family. Indulging in local fare, the arts, culture, landscapes, the history, the animals and still gets to fellowship in Scandinavian countries where moving across countries does not require a passport. PRICELESS
Dreams do come true. Travelling across Africa is not for other people's children only. Pick 4 countries. Save money. Pack light. Hop on a bus and have the time of your life.
Please, do not be like Zuki, check in. We will be cheering you on from the social media streets.
This is what 12 years of working on your thang looks like. An exceptionally written travel memoir with me, the reader , in mind.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🎤
July 31, 2022
HARDLY WORKING: AT TRAVEL MEMOIR OF SORTS, ZUKISWA WANNER
Hardly Working is my second book encounter with Zukiswa Wanner after her novel The Maids, which I squashed in one day because it was an easy and enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down until I reached the end, literally.
After the two, Hardly Working and The Maids, I am going all the way to reading everything she publishes.
I enjoyed The Maids, and Hardly Working doubly so.
Contrary to the sub-title of A Travel Memoir of Sorts, it is a thoroughgoing travel memoir with a literary slant expected of an author of repute like her.
Wanner captures her travels through the southern parts of Africa so beautifully, that it places you next to her as she and her co-travelers cross one border after the other. They go through Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
In all countries, they traverse you get exposed to people, places, foods, and anecdotes. There is never a dull moment en route to countries and destinations themselves.
She also gets to travel out of Africa to Europe, Demark to be the 2016 Denmark international Visiting Artist.
Our rogue leaders like Robert Mugabe and Jacob Zuma are mentioned in the course of Wanner and the company's travels.
Hardly Working has much more to offer about Southern Africa that only a full reading can lay bare. The book also showcases Wanner's prowess with the keyboard. She writes in a beautiful and captivating manner.
I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it to anybody interested in Africa its features and its people. You'll come out of the book satiated on Southern Africa.
Safe and happy travels.
Hardly Working is my second book encounter with Zukiswa Wanner after her novel The Maids, which I squashed in one day because it was an easy and enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down until I reached the end, literally.
After the two, Hardly Working and The Maids, I am going all the way to reading everything she publishes.
I enjoyed The Maids, and Hardly Working doubly so.
Contrary to the sub-title of A Travel Memoir of Sorts, it is a thoroughgoing travel memoir with a literary slant expected of an author of repute like her.
Wanner captures her travels through the southern parts of Africa so beautifully, that it places you next to her as she and her co-travelers cross one border after the other. They go through Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
In all countries, they traverse you get exposed to people, places, foods, and anecdotes. There is never a dull moment en route to countries and destinations themselves.
She also gets to travel out of Africa to Europe, Demark to be the 2016 Denmark international Visiting Artist.
Our rogue leaders like Robert Mugabe and Jacob Zuma are mentioned in the course of Wanner and the company's travels.
Hardly Working has much more to offer about Southern Africa that only a full reading can lay bare. The book also showcases Wanner's prowess with the keyboard. She writes in a beautiful and captivating manner.
I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it to anybody interested in Africa its features and its people. You'll come out of the book satiated on Southern Africa.
Safe and happy travels.
March 17, 2019
This travel memoir was a delightful read. It has fueled my desire to travel various parts of the African continent and experience for myself the people of Southern, East, West and North Africa. It has made me excited about all the wonderful foods I can eat across the continent. It is a well-written fun story weaved with social commentary. It details the myriad ways of our people and what connects is across the continent, what separates us as well as what unites us.
September 29, 2018
Easy reading. Like a friend telling you a story over a long lunch. Author didn’t explain African nuances and words which I like. Short chapters which get to the point. You get the feeling that you traverse the continent with her family, sleep by the broken down truck, pass through borders and eat with them!
October 17, 2018
Enjoyable book that is a delightful eye-opener about travels . The first section which traces the family’s by-land journey from Nairobi to Johannesburg via Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe worked best for me. It brought out the ubuntu and idiosyncrasies of our people - the ties that bound and the tendencies/practices that can frustrate.
March 19, 2021
Another great distraction during a tough week for me. The highlights of my week has been getting the Covid-19 vaccine and listening to my good friend Zukiswa Wanner tell me about her travels. That is what this book felt like, a friend narrating her travels to you. I quite enjoyed this.
July 1, 2019
The language is clear and to the point. The anecdotes funny yet incredibly profound. I learned so much about Africa and various places in Europe.
June 8, 2021
Got an autographed copy and i can't wait to read more of her books. Love my Africa
October 19, 2023
It was really worth a read. Started slow but I wanted more at the end
November 10, 2019
Such an easy read on the stress and hassle of traveling within Africa. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews