INTRODUCTION

Jane Katjavivi has worked in publishing and book development since the early 1980’s. She is an English
born, naturalized Namibian. She set up her own publishing company New Namibia Books and later
opened a bookshop which specialized in books from and about Africa, and in particular Namibia.

Born in Leeds in northern England in 1952, Jane was the third of four Children. As a teenager she
became involved through the church in support of projects in the Third World, and then studied
Literature and African Studies at the University of Sussex. This brought her into contact with students
from Southern Africa and led to her involvement in student campaigns against apartheid. Later doing an
MA at the University of Birmingham, she wrote on ‘South African Sub imperialism’. While the 1970’s
were filled with political activity, for Jane the 1980’s were years of raising a family and working with
books.
“Women need a focus on something they feel passionate about, not just
somebody… They should know how to fall in love without losing themselves and not allow the men
in their lives to tell them what to do.” – Jane Katjavivi

She was founding chairperson of the Association of Namibian Publishers and the Namibian Book
Development Council, a founder member of the African Publishers’ Network (APNET) and a member of
the Management Council of African Books Collective. She writes short stories and is working on a novel.

Her memoir, Undisciplined Heart was written while she was in Europe with her husband who was
Namibian ambassador to Brussels and Berlin.

Her short story White Hands also revolves around a girl whose origin is Namibia.

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PLOT SUMMARY