stephanie cox

About Nokutela

the woman

"I will tell you why we are here...
We do not want to teach them all your civilization,
only enough to better their condition,
not to make them unnatural and unhappy.
The Zulus are not dull."

Nokutela Mdima Dube (1873-1917) interviewed in Brooklyn, NY about the school she and her husband, John Langalibalele Dube, founded in South Africa to teach self-reliance to Black South Africans

"The Pioneering Woman the World Forgot" BBC (June 2014)

The comic book

(see cover image below)
A Zulu in New York: America Meets Nokutela Mdima Dube
Story by Chérif Kéita
Art by Stephanie Cox
Audience: Teen, Young Adult & Adult
2024

In this book, Nokutela is interviewed by journalists eager to meet the famous Zulu who lives in New York according to newspapers from the East coast to West coast. What they find is a very distinguished woman, a talented musician and inspiring figure. Nokutela talks about what she thinks of America, about her role models and about the dream of building a school with her husband John Langalibalele Dube to uplift her people.
The dialogue is based on interviews Nokutela gave from 1898 to 1900.

This comic book is one of the many chapters of Nokutela's life that remain to be told.

Updates

* AWARD !! *
As of March 20, 2024, this project is supported by a grant from SEMAC (Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council) to produce a limited series of handcrafted books to give to local readers at a public event at the Northfield Public Library and a workshop on making comics.
(Register for the workshop on the library's website.)

* PUBLIC TALK *
Thursday January 16, 2025 at 5PM
Northfield Public Library, Northfield, MN

Come get your free copy!

Visit my News page for more info.

* WORKSHOP *
Saturday January 11, 2025 at 1PM
Northfield Public Library, Northfield, MN
To register, visit the library's website.
(more info on my News page)