LIT/A/3: A WALK IN THE NIGHT By Alex La Guma

In 1968, Alex La Guma, a South African novelist and activist who worked to overthrow the apartheid regime as leader of the South African Coloured People's Organization, published his series of short stories titled A Walk in the Night and Other Stories. In this collection, he draws on his personal experiences in South Africa, creating a clear picture of the social injustice known as apartheid, a system where the majority of the country (non-whites), were treated differently than whites. Non-whites (including blacks and other minorities, and even poor whites) were forced to live in different areas, go to separate stores, schools and hospitals, treated differently at work, and were not allowed to interact with whites. Over time, many uprisings helped overturn this system. La Guma participated in and led many strikes and protests, and wrote articles against apartheid, which landed him and his wife in prison several times. Because the South African government prohibited him to speak or publish his writing, he and his family moved to London in 1966. A Walk in the Night and Other Stories was published two years later.