Van Schaik recently launched a Mobile Novel, also called an m-novel, on MXit as part of our Corporate Social Investment campaign to encourage reading among the youth of South Africa. The m-novel - Romeo and Khunjulwa, written by Mark Dornford-May, is set in present day South Africa and speaks to a youthful audience in a context to better understand Romeo + Juliet which forms part of the matric syllabus.
An m-novel is a literary work originally written on a cellular phone via text messaging and chapters usually consist of about 70-100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.
It has been established that the South African youth are using their cell phones to communicate, socialise and play more and more each day. What better way to encourage reading especially to those with limited or no access to libraries through this medium. Van Schaik Bookstore wishes to use this interactive and accessible reading material to get young people to read, interact and write stories through the most popular communication device used by any teen today.
Melvin Kaabwe, Digital Manager at Van Schaik is very excited about this venture, ‘Everyday another exciting chapter in the mystery plot will be told, it unfolds on their cellphones, they can vote on and discuss the progressing plot and leave comments. This allows us to interact with the readers and see how they interpret Romeo + Juliet in the South African context.’
This m-novel is also endorsed by the National Ministry of Arts and Culture, Directorate of Books and Publishing.
Author Mark Dornford-May commented that he used various ways of telling the story in the different chapters. ‘Some is text message, some news reporting, some telephone conversations, some police statements and even on one occasion it is presented as a scene from a film script. To top it all Romeo and Khunjulwa is written in texting language.
‘I have kept some names (for the Montague’s mainly) but changed others; sometimes keeping the iambic scan e.g. Capulet becomes Khuzwayo, sometimes descriptive the Prince is Nkosana ( Prince in Xhosa) and sometimes the sound Paris becomes Paseka. Some imagery remains the same e.g. Black Swans grows out of Benvolio’s line in the original “I will make thee think thy swan a crow”, Dornford-May concluded.
Some of the comments from Romeo + Khunjulwa readers are: “I’m not a bookworm but I have to say that I really enjoyed it very much. It felt like as if I was watching a movie. It was good, I enjoyed the whole thing but especially liked Chapter 8, the bishop’s diary and 18…it’s in our lingo, something that anybody can read. The sms-ing of the characters in the novel was cool as that appeals to the readers, as that is how we communicate these days. So I can easily relate to the characters.”
Mark Dornford-May has worked in South Africa since 2000, he was founding director of the company Dimpho Di Kopane and directed all their stage productions and films. His productions toured the world and his first feature film U-Carmen e Khayelitsha won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. In 2007 he co-founded Isango Ensemble and from July 2009 to February 2010, Mark oversaw the building of the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town. Mark and Isango Ensemble have recently announced that they will develop their own theatre in the townships surrounding Cape Town.
The m-novel can be downloaded from MXit by following these steps:
MXit tradepost->entertainment->mBooks->Romeo+Khunjulwa.