National Network for Equitable Library Service

Sugar Cane Boy, tells the story of Soya Sivaraman and his best friend Boniwe Mkhize, two young boys growing up on a sugar cane farm in Inanda on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Set in the early 1970s through to the 1990s, the story follows the paths of the two boys, who rise above their humble rural beginnings to become men of importance. As they grow up Soya and Boniwe learn to appreciate and respect each other’s culture while simultaneously being forced to confront prejudice within their own respective communities. These prejudices of the Indian and African farming communities are viewed against the backdrop of apartheid South Africa.