WHEN THE WORLD WAS

52pp., oblong 4to., colour illus., hardback, Tafelberg, Cape Town, 2025

ISBN: 9780624093862

Picture book based on |xam texts from the Bleek and Lloyd archive. Suitable for all ages.

"In the beginning before time began, the world was alive with possibilities. Animals were people, people could command the wind and the rain, and the sun had the power of speech. Many languages were spoken and stories, carried by the breath of those who spoke them, floated on the wind. But then things changed." from the back cover

Artist, curator and scholar Pippa Skotnes was founding director of the Centre for Curating the Archive where she is a research professor. She is the General Editor of !khwe-ta ǃxōë: the Digital Bleek and Lloyd. She has published several books on 19th century archives of hunter gatherer history and intellectual traditions, including Sound from the thinking strings (1991, UCT Book Award); Miscast: negotiating the presence of Bushmen (1996); Unconquerable Spirit: George Stow’s history paintings of the San (2008), and Rock art made in translation (2010). Recent publications include Curature: In and Out of the Archive (with Carolyn Hamilton) and The Courage of ||kabbo (with Janette Deacon).