Michael Charton

‘My Father’s Coat’ is Michael Charton’s realisation of his decade-long ambition to make the incredible story, that is the history of South Africa, more accessible to South Africans and visitors alike.

In a truly-unique presentation style, Michael condenses the epic narrative of South Africa into a bite-­size story which is not only compelling, but totally accurate.

In this very human story, he climbs into the boots of five prominent and directly inter-linked protagonists spanning 200 turbulent years; they are Mzilikazi, Kruger, Rhodes, Smuts and Mandela. Through these game-changers, he provides a powerful reminder of the personal biases which exist in our society, and the absurdity of the historic attitudes which were ultimately responsible for the country’s catastrophic 20th century.

Michael Charton is a Capetonian whose enthusiasm for the story of South Africa gradually lured him away from his corporate career, Michael qualified as a chartered accountant and spent time in a financial
advisory role in the United States.  He returned to Cape Town in 2007 where, during a short career in advertising, he was awoken to the art and power of storytelling.

Then, in 2010, he began telling stories and by 2015, had developed and told a number of original, non-fiction stories which drew their inspiration from South Africa’s unique history he continued to study.

That passion for South Africa’s past eventually saw him resign as a financial director, and launched an enterprise in 2015 which was founded on the sharing of untold, and often incredible stories from the past – but whose re-telling would have the goal of and nation building – but in a way that would also entertain and enlighten those who would hear them.