In celebrating the annual Library Week, renowned South African actress, director, producer, and now author, Pamela Nomvete launched her autobiography entitled Dancing to the Beat of the Drum. Nomvete shared with audience members the contrasting worlds of the film industry in the United Kingdom (UK) and in South Africa. As an African child raised in the UK by her South African parents, her journey to South Africa began in a book where she discovered a country that her father did not want her and her siblings to grow up hating, because of the experiences of the past.

Through reading, she became knowledgeable about the ills of Apartheid and the country of her parents’ birth, from which they were exiled.  As she came back to take residence in South Africa, she began to encounter her new environment, and came face-to-face with the complex dynamics of a new society, and the challenges she least expected, such as being victimised for her success.

The open session allowed author and audience to engage in open and honest dialogue about issues surrounding identity crisis, polygamy, and the erosion of one’s self-esteem. The audience walked away with autographed copies of her book.