The 17th Suitcase : Vignettes from a South African Family

If this little suitcase could talk...

...it would tell how this journey began, the journey of a family, navigating the system of Apartheid in South Africa, in a religiously diverse community, amidst racial tension and economic struggle. The sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious, and invariably thought provoking anecdotes shed light on times that seem long past, but in fact took place in very recent history. This suitcase would tell where the journey led, and how this family finally settled in Northern California.

Though this suitcase cannot talk, it still conjures vivid and lasting memories to be told to the generations that will follow in this strong, faith based legacy.

"People keep asking me why I was born in Africa, not in India. I jokingly answer: Because I wanted to be close to my mother."

-Rev. Samuel Moonsamy