Presents


The House of Emslie presents the Cape Rebel, a community driven project that brings you curated and edited short stories for your enjoyment. All of our stories embody the spirit of the Cape Rebel,

JOIN US

Experience the soul of South Africa. Join Cape Rebel and receive our concise weekly email containing news of publications, stories, short extracts from books, etc. We'll never share your information, and you can unsubscribe with a single click.

 

 

https://patreon.com/CapeRebel

 

WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT STORIES?

Think back in time.

Imagine cave-dwellers after a hard day’s hunting or gathering ... sitting around an open fire ... telling stories to the rhythm of the dancing flames ... listening at the fringe of flame-fall ... shooting stars punctuating the night ... southern cross illuminating all.

None of this unduly stretches the South African imagination. Our strong culture of braaiing over red-hot coals is no stranger to bushveld, night skies, or the storyteller’s art. Fireside stories are both ancient and modern: our tradition, our birthright, our way.

At Cape Rebel we love nothing better than to sprawl round a comforting fire listening to a good story under a magnificent starry sky.

We hope our featured stories will inspire you to get out under the stars, share your stories by firelight, and listen to the answering sounds of Africa.

 

Joiner

During the Anglo-Boer War the word ‘joiner’ was used to signify a Boer combatant who had gone over to the other side and ‘joined’ the enemy – in the sense of actively assisting against the Boers. Such persons were, understandably, regarded as traitors.

A ‘joiner’ was different to a ‘hensopper’, a combatant who had surrendered. It was one thing to raise one’s hands in surrender, quite another to actively ‘join’ the enemy against one’s own people.

Although the feelings of subsequent generations concerning ‘hensoppers’ and ‘joiners’ might still occasionally run high, such distinctions are largely historical.

In the true spirit of Cape Rebel, we invite all readers to become ‘joiners’ of a different kind – by subscribing to our weekly emailed stories, etc.

Joining Cape Rebel has no negative connotation. It signifies non-partisan interest in South Africa, past and present, and alignment with our core values of truth, courage, integrity and humour.

Join us at Cape Rebel, and become the very best kind of ‘joiner’.