Vol. 4 Streets Paved with Gold
Clive Cooke
- “The
- Wisdom
- of
- Solomon”
- poses
- the
- question
- as
- to
- whether
- a
- strict
- interpretation
- of
- the
- law
- is
- necessarily
- in
- the
- best
- interests
- of
- the
- victim
- of
- a
- crime.
- A
- baby
- is
- kidnapped
- shortly
- after
- birth.
- Fifteen
- years
- later
- her
- biological
- parents
- are
- discovered.
- Should
- the
- missing
- girl
- be
- returned
- to
- her
- true
- family
- who
- are
- strangers,
- or
- should
- she
- remain
- with
- the
- couple
- who
- stole
- her?
“Relativity”
- is
- a
- humorous
- story
- about
- polygamy
- and
- relatives.
- You
- can
- choose
- your
- friends,
- but
- you
- can’t
- choose
- your
- family.
“The
- Eagle”
- is
- set
- during
- the
- uncertain
- times
- leading
- up
- to
- the
- first
- democratic
- election.
- A
- young
- newspaper
- reporter
- meets
- an
- elderly
- mystic,
- a
- writer
- and
- an
- artist.
- A
- clash
- of
- cultures
- ensues.
The
- story
- “Justice”
- is
- set
- during
- the
- eighties
- when
- opposition
- to
- the
- status
- quo
- was
- becoming
- more
- and
- more
- intense.
- People
- had
- to
- choose
- between
- supporting
- the
- traditionalists
- or
- the
- activists.
- Sometimes,
- members
- of
- the
- same
- family
- chose
- different
- sides.
“Southern
- Cross”
- is
- the
- group
- of
- stars
- in
- the
- southern
- hemisphere,
- sometimes
- used
- in
- navigation
- by
- ships
- and
- by
- aircraft.
- The
- story
- is
- set
- during
- the
- Second
- World
- War.
“Protest”
- is
- set
- during
- the
- final
- days
- of
- the
- Apartheid
- era.
- A
- British
- couple
- immigrates
- to
- South
- Africa
- shortly
- after
- the
- Second
- World
- War.
- They
- are
- successful
- and
- hugely
- patriotic
- about
- their
- new
- country.
- But,
- there
- is
- a
- fly
- in
- the
- ointment.
- The
- country
- is
- going
- through
- a
- difficult
- period
- of
- change
- and
- unwittingly
- they
- are
- caught
- up
- in
- the
- process.
“Marriage
- à
- la
- Mode
- 1”
- is
- a
- humorous
- tale
- about
- being
- caught
- up
- in
- the
- bureaucrats’
- red
- tape.
- Nomvula
- loses
- her
- identity
- documents.
- When
- she
- applies
- for
- new
- ones,
- she
- discovers
- that
- officially
- she
- is
- married
- to
- an
- illegal
- immigrant
- she
- has
- never
- met.
- She
- now
- has
- to
- extricate
- herself
- from
- the
- tangle.
“Marriage
- à
- la
- Mode
- 2”
- is
- a
- serious
- story
- about
- a
- man
- who
- cannot
- marry
- his
- girlfriend
- because
- of
- the
- laws
- of
- the
- day
- banning
- mixed-race
- marriages.
- Instead,
- she
- poses
- as
- his
- servant.
- Come
- the
- day
- when
- the
- law
- changes,
- he
- still
- treats
- her
- like
- a
- servant.
“Hot
- Chocolate”
- is
- the
- name
- of
- a
- group
- of
- jazz
- musicians
- in
- the
- township.
- The
- story
- relates
- to
- the
- stresses
- and
- strains
- of
- fame
- and
- money
- at
- a
- young
- age.
- History
- may
- be
- repeating
- itself
- when
- a
- young
- girl
- decides
- to
- follow
- her
- aunt’s
- example
- and
- become
- a
- singer.
“The
- Bird
- That
- Made
- Milk”
- is
- a
- story
- in
- the
- style
- of
- a
- Xhosa
- fable.
“A
- Bargain”
- is
- a
- ghost
- story,
- supposedly
- true,
- told
- to
- the
- writer
- by
- a
- close
- relative.
- It
- has
- been
- expanded
- and
- dramatized.
- Just
- be
- careful
- when
- buying
- that
- bargain
- of
- a
- lifetime.
- You
- might
- get
- more
- than
- you
- expected,
- for
- example
- a
- resident
- ghost.
“Fervour”
- is
- about
- the
- religious
- sects
- popular
- with
- the
- working
- class.
- They
- meet
- in
- the
- open
- and
- are
- led
- by
- charismatic
- preachers.
“Devil’s
- Peak”
- is
- the
- writer’s
- preferred
- explanation
- of
- the
- cloud
- that
- covers
- Table
- Mountain
- (Cape
- Town)
- when
- the
- South-Easter
- wind
- blows.
- Forget
- all
- that
- scientific
- stuff
- about
- barometric
- pressure,
- temperature
- and
- dew
- point.
“The
- Co-Operative”
- follows
- the
- trials
- and
- the
- successes
- of
- peasant
- women
- who
- survive
- by
- tilling
- the
- soil.
‘Malawi
- Gardener”
- is
- about
- xenophobia.
“Can
- You
- Smell
- the
- Rain?”
- is
- a
- story
- about
- the
- People
- of
- the
- Little
- Carts,
- the
- poorest
- of
- the
- poor,
- invisible
- and
- marginalized.
- They
- travel
- around
- the
- countryside
- in
- their
- carts
- looking
- for
- temporary
- work.
- A
- farmer’s
- young
- son
- decides
- to
- see
- the
- outside
- world.
- He
- comes
- from
- a
- hard-working
- but
- inward-looking
- society
- and
- has
- never
- met
- the
- People
- of
- the
- Little
- Carts
- before.
- When
- he
- does,
- the
- experience
- changes him.
