African Cameo, An

Only in real life do we find coincidences so unbelievably farfetched that the names are changed to safeguard those who wish to remain anonymous. A nationally renowned Japanese artist falls in love with an uncouth South African businessman. He promised her the world and flew her to Johannesburg, only to lock her up as a sex slave and to work as a servant in the flat of his mistress. This is the heart-rendering story of proposed marriage, heartache, extreme abuse, violence and eventual solace, set against the background of cultural taboos and apartheid pitfalls. Naka Pillman is known for being an adventurous traveller. In 1963 she took her eleven-year-old daughter on a 6 000 km journey from Cape Town to Cairo. Alone in Afghanistan she wore a chador and followed the Buddhist route through the foothills and valleys of the Hindu Kush mountain range up to the sacred lakes of Bandi Amir to explore the ancient artworks in the cold Bamiyan caves. In Teheran she had an unfortunate misunderstanding with the police and lived through the adventure of spending time in an Iranian jail! There she discovered their use of a woollen zip, which idea she took to Pennsylvania and taught to the Amish. She is the author of numerous articles published in educational and art magazines, and specialises in the research of unusual art expression. She is a founder member of the Museum of Man and Science. Presently she lives in George. She is 90 years old