Young author translates experience onto the page

Honed in solitude, the pain of lived experience is pulled from the subconscious through the fingers and onto the page.

Channelling a burdensome childhood into a cathartic tale of hope is the young weaver of narratives, Prince Ndaba. Following the passing of his father, the gently spoken and deep thinking author went from Johannesburg’s northern suburbs to pinballing between homelessness and various shelters. After finding some stability at OJC Development Centre in Roodepoort, Prince would complete matric at Hoërskool Die Adelaar with his dream clearly in sight.

Literature and culture become his teenage sanctuary, allowing him to delve into his own mind. “Writing for me was a talent I first discovered when I was about 16 years old. During those days, everyone wanted to be a rapper, not excluding me. That’s when I realised that the brain-to-hand coordination came easily. I wrote so many poems during those years that I began to think that I was made out of poems,” laughed Prince.

Now a published author, Prince’s latest offering titled ‘Plastic blankets and Angels’ is his exploration of homeless life with a fantastical twist. The characters are from opposite ends of the societal spectrum but blend in a supernatural way to teach those around them about their shared humanity. “I write fictional stories so you’ll find all sorts of strange things in the book. Have you ever heard of a homeless man who loves origami? How about a homeless man who has the ability to turn his folded paper birds into real pigeons? Fiction is fun,” gestured Prince.

“The central message behind the book is that God has a purpose for everything He created. Of course, that includes the homeless man down the street. More so, the homeless man who has survived and outlived the others around him. Then that’s the one we must watch because that’s our leader if we ever find ourselves without,” he added.

Written while Prince was employed at a bank, the novel took roughly 18 months to complete. “’Plastic blankets and Angels’ was inspired by my longing to give back. That, and my curiosity about how God keeps certain homeless people warm during cold winters. In OJC, we stayed with different homeless people and I knew that God’s hand was over them, but still I wanted to know how,” he pondered.

‘Plastic blankets and Angels’ is available on Amazon.com and Prince hopes the exposure can open the door for other South African creatives or the county’s youth. “It’s time to stress about story, poetry and theatre. The stories need to be told, that’s the only way we can open up to the internationals,” he said.

With a gracious humility and a magical imagination, the wonders of the Roodepoort streets are coming to life.