I want you to write down your impressions of what it means to be black. What does “Africa” mean? South Africa? Do this in a classroom exercise, a free write that should last about 15 minutes.

Pre-Reading Task

I want you to write down your impressions of what it means to be black. What does “Africa” mean? South Africa? Do this in a classroom exercise, a free write that should last about 15 minutes. Discuss this as a class for the next 20 minutes. Then come back with the ideas gathered and comment upon your observations. Do some intense introspection as to why you have these ideas, where do they come from? Do you believe they are accurate? Look deeply and honestly, otherwise you are wasting your time.

NOW. Outside of the classroom you should look into the history of South Africa. Do this research in Ukrainian/Russian if it is easier, but your observations need be done in English. Focus primarily upon the past 20-50 years of history, looking into the effects of “apartheid”, especially on “townships” (such as Kayamandi), and the nature of the relationship between blacks and whites in South Africa.

Prepare a short speech inspired by Nelson Mandela, as if you were a proponent of African rights and wanted to speak to their cause. You are trying to inspire the African people and show the white people that you are not rooted in hatred, but in a desire to see the equality in your own nation reflected in its policies and society. Your goal is to demonstrate that you understand the nature of the situation (it is indeed very deep and complex) in South Africa and thereby show to me that you can better comprehend the microcosm of my role in Kayamandi.

Study Guide for “Portraits of Kayamandi” Discussion

p.31-33 “Practice-Side Revelations”

1) What is the effect of the anaphora (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive sentences) on page 31, beginning with “Forget” and then with “Embrace”? How does it add or detract from the power of the sentences?

2) What were your “preconceptions”, “notions” before I told you to forget them? What do you picture when I say “native Africans” and “ghetto”? (Compare this with what you now see after reading the whole passage)

3) Can you picture the African children? Do you agree with the statement “Moments like these is why we live to see?”

4) What do you think the actions of the older players at practice symbolized to me, to themselves, and to the younger players? Why would they perform such a feat? Where would such an idea come from?

p.93-97 “False Start But True Finish”

1) Why do you think it is important to get the players “psyched” (excited) for the big game? What impact did this movie watching potentially have on the players? (Hint: Think about camaraderie (brotherhood))

2) Why would not have playing been against the “spirit of competition” of Africa? What could have been lost if the two teams had not played? And, knowing what you know about the future tournament, could not playing this day have changed the team’s results?

3) What role did my pride play in the speech to my boys (both after the game and at the pizza parlor)? How important was my being encouraging and not focusing on the loss, but on the teamwork and lessons for next time?

4) Did losing actually turn out to benefit the players in this situation? Was the victory important? How do you think the players learned from such an event?

5) What can you say about the flexibility that was demonstrated in this passage? The way my team and I came together, knowing that “the show must go on”. Would this have happened in your culture, or does it help you better understand what the African spirit is all about?

p.121-131 “A Day Fit For Champions”

1) Have you personally ever experienced a “Kayamandi” feeling? One that you could not capture in any words, that represented something greater than itself? Try to capture that now in your own voice and spirit.

2) How do you perceive the loss of something as a gain? As I describe “you lose these things and you gain the spirit of the people of Kayamandi”, do you think such an equation is logical, practical, realistic? Have you ever benefited more from letting something go than keeping it? (Think hard and really look inside yourself on this one)

3) Why do you think I was so impressed by the boys “work ethic” in cleaning the court? Could I really see the reflection of champions, or was it just my pride talking? Why was I so proud?

4) How does the setting of the tournament compliment or contrast the overall feeling of the team, of me, of the people there? Pay attention to the adjectives used to describe the place and then the people, and speak to the differences you notice and what that suggests about the spirit of these people.

5) Describe your emotions when witnessing the dance party. What value did this add to the energy of the day as a whole? How did it impact the spirit of the players, of me? Could you feel the power of the music? What was it like?

6) “Emotion is scattered across the court like the pieces of a puzzle; separate they mean nothing, but together they form the picture perfect.” How do you interpret this sentence? Why would they mean nothing apart, but everything together? What are these emotions I am talking about?

7) Why was “my job as their coach done”?

8) What does it mean “the communication was silent but so loud”? How could this happen? What does it show you about the growth of the players?

9) Paint a picture of your emotions while reading about the final moments of the basketball game, the moments just after, the celebration. Have you ever experienced such elation (high levels of excitement and joy)? Was it really an important event, or did it represent something greater than you and the event?

10) Do you understand now why “African smiles are bigger than yours, more heartfelt than yours just by their nature”? If you don’t think harder, and think about where they’ve come from. If you still don’t, I’ll tell you why.

Paramount Problems of the Prose (The Most Difficult Challenges in Vocabulary/Phrasing)

P.31

Decadence-

Shattered-

Roll up-

p. 32

Vigor-

Tenacity-

Tangible-

Boisterousness-

Pothead-

“Trail of Tiny Black Children”-

Frazzled-

Brilliance-

Guttural-

Abyss-

p.33

“Brimming With Optimism”-

Underway-

Cohesive-

“got on their case”-

“Boo”- show disapproval (essentially your “Foo”)

p.94

Tangible-

“Shed its overcast light”-

“Cease and desist”-

Pumped-

“Rinse, Lather, Repeat”- An expression that describes hand-washing literally, but in literature a boring task that must be repeated.

Animated-

Overwhelming-

Psyched-

p. 95

Trudging-

“Rally the men”- a phrase often used in a military way, as if going off to war. “Rally” means to bring together in a spirit of encouragement. (the rest of that paragraph with verbs such as “teamed up”, “flanked”, “staged” and “cut down” are all in connection with this military theme, and are just exaggerated verbs of motion)

Menace-

Eliminated-

Single-handedly- this means that a person is able to accomplish without any help whatsoever, all by themselves

“passes crisper, shots smoother, movements grander”- all ways to suggest the way the player excels in each category of basketball

p.96

“Great hustle off the bench”- the bench is where the players who aren’t on the court are resting. To “hustle” means to show great effort and energy.

“Sticking with them”- Glue helps something to stick. In this instance, I mean that the players are staying close to the other team in their level of play and effort, because they are, in reality, the better team.

“Kick Some Tutu butt”- an expression to mean “Let’s beat them!”

“Fought tooth and nail”- you gave the task everything you had, all your strength

“Smell victory”- the win was very close

“Put that forward”- to make an investment, to let the day remind them of what they are capable of

“Throw it to the wolves”- to do away with something completely, trash it.

Bashful-

Behest- the encouragement, desired request

Self-deprecation-

Diatribes-

Glistening-

p.97

“I deem you ‘travels’”- associated with royalty, it is giving a name to someone. “To travel” is a part of basketball when you carry the ball with you instead of bouncing it

Swelled-

p.121

Spanning-

p.122

Verbatim-

Stabbed-

Reach out –

Witty-

“Thunder never strikes the same place twice”- an expression that means if something out of the ordinary happens once, it won’t happen again.

“Mind you”- a phrase to add emphasis to the importance of what comes after, as it to say “Listen to this”.

Flooding*- If you have questions I will gladly explain, haha.

p.123

Grandiosity-

Majesty-

“Thrust forth from the depths”- come powerfully up from the bottom

Rugged-

“I walk onto the court…”- This paragraph contains a lot of complex imagery and words and phrases. Ask me about this and I will explain more fully the picture I tried to paint.

p.124

Foreground-

Testament-

Persistent-

Work ethic-

Tenacity-

p.125

Frustrations-

Relieve-

Face off- to compete against

Imminent-

“I swallow a bit of my pride”- an expression meaning that I am doing away with my prideful ways in the name of the game

Regality-

Handle- to deal/ manage with something, in this sense “to dribble” the ball

Withholding-

Unkempt-

Tenacity-

p.126

“sagging is a misconceived trait of the street”- I will explain this one, it has a deeper cultural context

“Prince is bald-headed…”- Wait for the discussion to picture this. Actually you won’t have to, I have a picture of this.

Fierceness-

“It resounds through the air…a waterfall”- the energy coming from our enthusiasm is as strong as that of a waterfall hitting below

Ghetto-certified- authentic in the eyes of the street, that being the real basketball players and people with a reputation for being cool

“Plugged the bad boy in”- a phrase that just means “I connected the stereo”. “bad boy” meaning stereo here, showing how cool it is

“Let the good times roll”- a play on words with the boom-box on the tire, as well as a general phrase that just means “let the fun times get started”

p.127

Awkward-

Lights-out- Something so cool that and incredible that it can be appreciated even when the “lights are out”

Booty- a word often used to describe “butt” when in reference to Africans

“Swaying back and forth in the spirit of a gospel choir”- Gospel is a traditional form of African music that has reached America and is religious in nature, full of soul and spirit.

Belts it- Sings loudly and powerfully

Overflowing-

Gushing-

“I pinch myself”- an expression where you grab your skin tightly, just to make sure that you are still alive, that the moment isn’t too good to be true

p.129

Pudgy-

“Stands out”- to be of the foremost importance; to be noticed

Encore- an extra performance after the main show is over

Jovial-

Scattered-

Flailing-

p.130

“Mbqweni marched down…”- Again returning to the military theme, you can picture the two teams as armies in full battle

Euphoria-

Invincibility-

Meager-

p.131

Wherewithal-

Poignant-

“Flood over me”-

Profound-

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