Down Second Avenue is a semi-autobiographical memoir by novelist, teacher, and writer Ezekiel Es’kia Mphahlele. It was released in South Africa by Peter Smith Publishers in 1959. Es’kia was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1969 and is highly considered as a legend and pioneer in African literature. Down Second Avenue is regarded as a South African classic for its vivid reporting of life under the apartheid regime of South Africa.
Es’kia explores his experiences as a young African native growing up in a system that seeks to destroy his existence. Es’kia and his family live in absolute poverty, segregated school system, unemployment, and a militarized police force. Immediately after the publication, the apartheid power nationally banned the distribution of Down Second Avenue. The memoir heavily criticized the regime for the atrocities it had committed. It became an essential read for all activist groups in the world.
Barney Mthombothi reporting for The Star compared Mphahlele’s literature achievements to Nelson Mandela’s political achievements. Mphahlele is a literary giant who fights injustice with words of wisdom and character as he strives to pull his people from a cycle of poverty that has long held them hostage. A century after he was born, Mphahlele’s struggle for black and white equality still prevails in the world’s society.
