Touch my Blood

About the book

As a teenager Fred Khumalo greeted his friends with a handshake and the words 'touch my blood'. It implied friendship and trust. The saying became his name. More than that, it became the way he viewed his world. Everything touched Fred Khumalo. Twice he was bewitched. Twice his father - the 'moegoe', the 'country bumpkin' - took him to inyangas to have the 'demons' banished. Twice his mother - the 'city girl' - took him to the doctor to have the 'fevers' cured. When the American Dudes became the fashion, Khumalo dressed up in outlandish style and strutted the streets. 'You had to be brave to be seen in the outfits that we wore. Green, yellow, maroon, powder blue. Outrageous stuff, garish stuff, bright stuff. Earth, Wind and Fire stuff. Michael Jackson (pre-nose job) stuff.' He...