''Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman'' is a 1996 autobiography by

Mosotho The Sotho (), also known as the Basotho (), are a Sotho-Tswana peoples, Sotho-Tswana ethnic group indigenous to Southern Africa. They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The ancestors of the Sotho peo ...

woman Mpho 'M'atsepo Nthunya, edited by K. Limakatso Kendall. Nthunya, a Lesotho elder and matriarch, spent three decades as a

domestic worker A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...

, supporting eleven people on her income. At the

National University of Lesotho The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, Lesotho, Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which pro ...

, she met and befriended Kendall, an American writer who was a Fulbright Senior Scholar. Becoming friends, the two collaborated to record Nthunya's life story. Nthunya was born in 1930. Impoverished as a child, she often lacked clothing, shoes, and food, occasionally having to eat grass. She was able to freely attend Catholic grade school in South Africa, ultimately learning to read and speak eight languages. She modeled her life and faith on that of her

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

mother, but also maintained traditional beliefs in

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

, wizards, and illness-causing spells. As an adult, Nthunya dealt with the death of her husband, and the murders of her father, brother, and children. Despite these hardships, Nthunya maintained a "love of natural beauty, as well as her sense of humor, hope, and dreams." In loosely connected episodes, including stories passed to her from her mother, Nthunya describes the difficult life facing many Basotho women, who must deal with a choice between the dangers, hardships, and degrading working conditions of city life as an indigenous African under

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

, and the challenges of traditional rural life. In the Basotho community, women often face

child mortality Child mortality is the death of children under the age of five. The child mortality rate (also under-five mortality rate) refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births. It encompa ...

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

and

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

hood. Illness and

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...

are constant threats, and these are compounded by what Nthunya describes as the destructive force of jealousy in impoverished communities. Despite this, Nthunya chose in 1949 to move her family away from city life under apartheid to her rural homeland, so that they could learn the traditions of their people. The cultural conflict between city and rural life, and between Western and traditional culture, are a major theme of the book. Customs and rituals are a constant guiding force in Basotho life. The Basotho society is a patriarchal one: marriages are arranged without concern for women's preferences, and women are responsible for childcare and management of the household, but may receive little financial support. They live under the control of their husbands or male relatives, including their children. Women who are unable to bear children are stigmatized. With no power over men, women in Basotho society often oppress and victimize their sisters. However, Nthunya cherished the female friendships she had in the society.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called Nthunya's narration "eloquent", and described her writing as having a "dignified emotional distance... punctuated by her very human humor and pain." ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, non ...

'' called the book "poignant and beautifully crafted", a "commanding and important work that will captivate readers with its unique voice, narrative power, and unforgettable scenes of life in southern Africa." In ''

Women's Studies Quarterly ''Women's Studies Quarterly'', often referred to as ''WSQ'', is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal of women's studies that was established in 1972 and published by The Feminist Press. The Feminist Press was founded by Florence Howe in 1970 ...

'', Nthunya's book was favorably compared with two novels by African writers, '' So Long a Letter'' by

Mariama Bâ Mariama Bâ (April 17, 1929 – August 17, 1981) was a Senegalese author and feminist, whose two French-language novels were both translated into more than a dozen languages. Born in Dakar, Senegal, Dakar, Senegal, she was raised a Muslim. Her ...

and ''

Petals of Blood ''Petals of Blood'' is a novel written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and first published in 1977. Set in Kenya just after independence, the story follows four characters – Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega – whose lives are intertwined due to the ...

'' by

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5January 193828May 2025) was a Kenyan author and academic, who has been described as East Africa's leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature. Ngũgĩ wrote primarily in Eng ...

, which also deal with themes of women's struggle in patriarchal societies, and that of widows in particular. The stories are said to speak "not only to the personal, not only to the Lesotho, not only to the African, but to the universal female experience."

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite journal, last1=Brown-Clark, first1=Sarah, title=Book Review, journal=

, date=Fall–Winter 1998, volume=26, issue=3/4, pages=215–219, jstor=40003287 {{cite web, title=Mpho Matsepo Nthunya, url=http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/bio.php?womanid=161, website=DistinguishedWomen.com, accessdate=29 March 2018 {{cite web, title=Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman, url=http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=20991, publisher=

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

, accessdate=29 March 2018 {{cite news, title=Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman, by Mpho 'M'atsepo Nthunya, url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mpho-matsepo-nthunya/singing-away-the-hunger/, accessdate=29 March 2018, work=

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

, date=1 August 1997 {{cite news, title=Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman, url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-253-33352-0, accessdate=29 March 2018, work=

, date=29 September 1997 Works by Lesotho people Lesotho literature Society of Lesotho South African autobiographies Books about apartheid Non-fiction books about immigration Books about indigenous rights 1996 non-fiction books 1997 non-fiction books Indiana University Press books Books published by university presses History of women in South Africa