BASTAARDS OR HUMANS, volume two, 500 years of intimacy between South Africa and Europe

488pp., illus., maps, paperback, Sunnyvale, 2018

The title of Ruben Richards' book series is taken from a 17th century debate between Jan van Riebeeck and Matthijs Proot regarding the humanity of the indigenous people of the Cape. Volume one, Bastaards or Humans, the unspoken heritage of coloured people, origins identity culture and challenges, is also available.

"...a personal quest and an educational excursion of a piece of South African history that has never been told in this way. This is a book of affirmation to coloured people that there is no shame in claiming and owning their indigenous and slave identities." Stan Henkerman, Executive Director, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation

Cape Town-born Richards is a former fitter and turner tradesman and holds a Doctorate in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town. In 2015 the Ruben Richards Foundation was awarded the National Reconciliation Award by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation for its work in confronting exclusion and facilitating restoration and healing among marginalised groups. In 2019 the Western Cape Education Department endorsed his work for integration into the history curriculum of high school pupils.