Sustaining Seas: Oceanic Space and the Politics of Care

Along with the English translation by Cecil Wele Manona, the volume also includes the original isiXhosa account by Jabavu. Additionally, in the introductory chapters, the editors have included a detailed analysis of the travelogue and provided historical background exploring the interconnections between India’s freedom struggle, East Africa’s fight against colonialism, South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, and the American Civil Rights Movement, as well as Jabavu’s andManona’s biographies. Most importantly, the editors argue for the study of literature in regional languages: ‘Any study of African and Indian Ocean literatures that overlooks materials in local languages is an academic joke in bad taste’ (). As a comparatist who researches Canadian literature written in heritage languages, I cannot emphasise enough both the need for recognition of literature in non-hegemonic languages as well as translations of these works. To that end, the editors as well as the translators of Jabavu’s book should be commended for undertaking this project. As comparatists have been arguing for a long time, translation is crucial to expanding the canon of world literature. This translation of Jabavu’s travelogue from isiXhosa into English offers a window into a world which would have been otherwise left out of the reach of scholars globally. For readers who do not have the knowledge of isiXhosa, the translation is interesting as it attempts to retain the style, tone, and flavour of the original text. Jabavu’s travel narrative provides readers with a new vantage point from which to reconsider the cultural and political landscape of India, South Africa, and East Africa in particular, as well as the Indian Ocean region in general. The book will be an excellent addition for anyone interested in Africa, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean world, as well as those working in comparative literature, travel studies, African studies, and translation studies.