The African writer Yvonne Very, used to recall that, as a young girl in the cotton fields, the urge to write was so strong that with no pen and paper available she picked up a twig and started to scratch words onto her skin.

Stories in South Africa kept the dream of freedom alive during the colonial and apartheid years; and the tradition of the people and elders of a village meeting under the shade of a tree is based on telling stories as a way of arriving at an understanding.

Part of a series showcasing contemporary women writers from around the world.