The Born Frees: Writing with the Girls of Gugulethu

The Born Frees are the first generation growing up in postapartheid South Africa, i.e., those born in or after 1994 when Nelson Mandela became president. Yet the dissolution of apartheid did not represent the end of inequality, and for many black citizens suffering has continued. Journalist Burge spent a year in South Africa hosting a creative writing club for the Born Frees of Gugulethu, a town with a troubled history. Burge's group provided a safe space for girls to gather without fear of judgement. Writing became an outlet for many involved, and the club itself grew into a platform to share thoughts about issues that matter the most to the girls. Specifically, Burge allowed for an expression and preservation of the female voice, and the Born Frees realized that both education and health play a major role in the elimination of poverty. The girls wrote about their lives, needs, hopes, feelings, and worries; Burge permits their stories to narrate the lingering effects of apartheid and contemporary life in South Africa.