Butterfly Heart

Butterfly Heart follows the close friendship between two young girls. Neo and Mosa are best friends who share everything and have heart-shaped stones to remind them of their special connection. But when Mosa’s heart begins to slow, Neo must face the pain of watching her best friend struggle with an illness. As Mosa’s heart grows weaker, Neo learns about the fragility of life, the power of memories and the comfort of knowing that love never truly stops. Through sweet, simple moments of childhood joy, Butterfly Heart gently explores themes of friendship, loss and healing. Neo holds onto her stone heart and the memory of sharing laughter with her friend. She finds solace in the fluttering butterflies that remind her that Mosa’s spirit will always be with her. Many families and communities have their own ways of dealing with grief. But often, children are left on the sidelines, unsure of what is happening or how to feel. Butterfly Heart opens a gentle, thoughtful path for children and adults to begin talking about death and grief together. A tender, lyrical story for young children learning to navigate grief through the enduring power of friendship. Also available in Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Setswana, Sepedi, Sesotho and Xitsonga.

Lalu Mokuku is a multilingual storyteller, playwright, facilitator, performer and academic. Her vision is to use the arts for justice and enhancing botho (humanity). She co-wrote an award-winning play Dipalo with Ginni Manning. She is the Artistic Director of meqoqocollective and specialises in Applied Theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences. She has performed Butterfly Heart at festivals nationwide, including the National Arts Festival. Rebecca Potterton is an Illustrator and Architectural researcher based in Johannesburg. Potterton trained in Architecture, holds a postgraduate degree in History and is currently completing a Master’s in Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her multidisciplinary practice brings together traditional and digital illustration techniques to explore themes of everyday life, memory and urban experience. Potterton’s interest lies in translating complex ideas into accessible and engaging stories. Her recent works include the large-scale murals Marks of Home and The Other Side of Dreaming, commissioned as part of the ongoing exhibition series World Making at the Johannesburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF). These works continue her engagement with storytelling through visual language and contribute to a broader conversation around art, space and identity in contemporary South Africa.