Author is inspired by history of South Africa
ORANGE GROVE – Waverley history teacher writes about South African history, and teaches those books.
Head of department and history teacher at Maryvale College, Kimon Neo, was inspired from a young age by his father to become a writer.
Neo, who is of Greek origin, writes many of his books based on historic events and what he described as untold stories from our history. Neo writes his books, in the hope of achieving reconciliation in the country by teaching the youth the necessities that are sometimes overlooked.
Neo’s sequel was approved by the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (Caps) and is since taught by many educators countrywide.
When the North Eastern Tribune asked him how he feels about teaching the pupils the same work that he wrote, he chuckled and said, “I prefer to not tell them I am the writer, and only later do they realise that it’s me.
“My attempt is to achieve reconciliation in the country, therefore, I have used the TRC as a background in my sequel. There are some impressive and powerful stories that are not fully exploited by the Department of Education.”
In his sequel, Pen or the Panga, Neo used a story from the TRC about Marcia Khoza and Eugene de Kock and incorporated it into the teaching syllabus. “I was so impressed as a history teacher, and was inspired Toby Khoza’s story, that is when I decided to write the sequel, Pen or the Panga.”
As a history teacher, Neo aims to exploit South African history. “There are a number of stories that are untold.”
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