Commendation: Because pula means rain
Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2000: Gold

When I first read Because pula means rain, I was entranced from the very beginning. The writer has a beautiful, lyrical style and I greatly admired the skillful way in which she evoked an acute sense of atmosphere and place. Because pula means rain stood out from the rest of the manuscripts I judged because I could think of no way in which to improve the story or the manner in which it was told. The characters are interesting and complex. Emmanuel, an albino is the protagonist in the story, but he is not a typical hero. Instead, he is a complex person who struggles to come to terms with his condition.

He struggles to control his anger and frustration, and although the writer doesn’t make a big issue of it, choosing to discuss instead only one episode where he loses his temper and smashes the "God-grant" picture, he clearly gives his grandmother a hard time.

Emmanuel is also headstrong - even though his grandmother does not want him to go with Sindiso to Gaberone because of the number of accidents that have afflicted the community, he insists and cajoles until he has his way. Peripheral characters are likewise well rounded and complex.The writer deals with the outsider theme with skill and sensitivity, managing to arouse the reader’s sympathy for Emmanuel and Kesia without ever lecturing or sermonising. The problems Immanuel and Kesia are experiencing are presented in a very realistic and believable way, which will no doubt make it very easy for young readers to identify with them.

Many books have been written, particularly by Southern Africans, on racist attitudes towards people with dark skin. I liked the way that Immanuel’s albinism inverts this - he longs to have black skin, which represents wholeness and health to him. I think that this sends a very positive message to readers who are still suffering the consequences of racism. Not only does this redress the issue of dark skin’s being inherently undesirable, but the writer insists that we look beyond this issue: she manages to do so without being heavy-handed or prescriptive.

I think that young South African readers will benefit enormously from this story; it is sure to give all its readers a greater understanding of what it is like to be an outsider. And yet, because of the well-crafted and subtle way in which the story is told, its readers will absorb all of its lessons without even fully realizing it.

I congratulate Jenny Robson on winning her fourth Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature with Because pula means rain.

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