Festival's theme "Writing A New World" to challenge participants as activists and social commentators. (Review by Keith Millar)
There was great excitement in Durban yesterday as
literary luminaries from South Africa, Africa and beyond gathered for the 16th Time Of The Writer
Festival. The festival is hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of
KwaZulu-Natal) and with principal support by the National Lottery Fund. It runs
until March 23.
Featured will be leading novelists, social
commentators, activists, playwrights and short story writers. They will share
their knowledge, insight and opinions in a varied programme of workshops,
forums, panel discussions, school visits and many other activities.
The festival kicked off yesterday with an informal
function at Moyo’s on the Durban beachfront and was followed last night by the
official opening in front of a full-house audience at the Elizabeth Sneddon
Theatre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
After a musical welcome by the very accomplished and
ethereal group Tanga Pasi from Zimbabwe,
it was over to the newly-appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of the School of
Humanities at UKZN, Prof Cheryl Potgieter, to give the keynote address.
She said that the theme for the festival was “Writing
A New World” and challenged the participants as activists and social
commentators to enter into debates and conversations which would challenge
conventions.
After a poignant tribute to Durban author, activist
and educator, Phyllis Naidoo, who passed away earlier this year, it was the
turn of the participants in the festival to introduce themselves and share a
few thoughts about their writing and the social issues of the day. What a
varied offering it was. Some were thought-provoking, some funny, and some a bit
controversial. But all were very pertinent and served as a perfect appetizer
for what should prove to be a dynamic and memorable week of interaction.
If you love words and the use of language, this festival
offers an ideal opportunity to relate with some fine minds and experience new
perspectives on the lives we live.
The main events on the programme are as follows but check
on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za for full
details of the activities.
Tuesday March 19: The
panel discussion titled Perspectives in South African Writing will
feature South African writers Kabelo Duncan Kgatea and Jo-Anne Richards.
Trained as a journalist and working as a miner, it was after Kgatea’s first
book Njeng manong fa ke sule! (Devour me, vultures, when I’m dead!)
was published and won the Sanlam Prize Youth Literature (silver) in the Sotho
category, that he got promoted to communications officer and no longer worked
below ground. When The Innocence of Roast Chicken, the debut novel of
internationally published author and journalist Richards first appeared, it
topped the South African best seller list in its first week and remained there
for 15 weeks. This discussion will be facilitated by Zukiswa Wanner.
Controversial human rights issues are brought to the
fore in the evening’s second panel titled Africa Writing Queer Identity,
featuring leading Nigerian writer Jude Dibia and Graeme Reid of South Africa,
and will be facilitated by Sarojini Nadar. Dibia’s books address issues which
range from sexuality, gender roles, race to the stigma of HIV/AIDS in modern
day Africa. Reid, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Rights Programme and founding director of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South
Africa, explores gay identities in South Africa in his book How to be a Real
Gay. Music by Durban duo Njeza and Siphelele Dlamini will commence the
evening proceedings at 19h30.
Wednesday March 20: The first panel,
titled Reflections on the Palestinian State, features Palestinian-born
American-based novelist and essayist, Susan Abulhawa, in an interview
discussion with Lubna Nadvi. Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin was translated
into 24 languages worldwide and hailed by The Times as the “first
English-language novel to express fully the human dimension of the Palestinian
tragedy”.
Exploring Genre in African Literature is the
topic of the second panel, featuring South African author, photographer and
filmmaker, Zinaid Meeran, alongside Nnedi Okorafor, award-winning author born
in the United States and of Nigerian descent. Meeran was awarded the European
Union Literary award for his debut Saracen at the Gates in 2009. About a
curious exploration of living raceless in a country where just about everybody
seems to have one, this debut was also shortlisted for the Sunday Times fiction
prize in 2010. A professor of creative writing, Okorafor has received numerous
accolades for her books, which are often characterized by African culture
infused with reminiscent settings and memorable characters. This panel will be
facilitated by True Love books editor and publisher Melinda Ferguson.
Music by Durban duo Nhlanhla Zondi and Zulublue will kick start the evening
presentation, while Molope’s book, This Book Betrays my Brother launches
prior to the show.
Thursday March 21: The
evening of Human Rights Day offers the panel titled Perspectives in SA
Writing with a panel which features Elana Bregin and Damon Galgut and
facilitated by Siphiwo Mahala. Galgut’s In a Strange Room. Following the
journey of an isolated South African traveler seeking a deep satisfaction in
life, In a Strange Room was shortlisted for several awards, including
the 2010 Man Booker Prize and M-Net Literary Award. Bregin is well known for
her award-winning young adult titles, which include The Kayaboeties and The
Red-haired Khumalo, which all deal with the social realities of a
changing South Africa.
Under the title The Reporter as Writer, Jackee
Batanda from Uganda and Aman Sethi from India, both novelists and journalists,
feature in the evening’s second panel discussion. Together with the numerous
awards for her fiction writing, Batanda also featured in the London Times
alongside 19 young women shaping the future of Africa. A seasoned journalist
working as a correspondent for The Hindu, a newspaper in India with a
daily readership of about 2.5 million, Sethi has also contributed articles to
various publications, around health policies in India. The evening’s musical
act is the pair Mike Muyo and Tom Watkeys.
Friday March 22: Following the book
launch of The Imagined Child (Picador) by festival participant Jo-Anne
Richards, and a music performance by the band Nje, the presentation of prizes
to winners of the schools short story competition will take place. The first
session titled Youth Literature, similarly puts a spotlight on young
people and features writers Elieshi Lema from Tanzania and BD Khawula from
South Africa. Lema started writing poetry before moving on to children’s books.
Her first novel Parched Earth - A Love Story received an
honorable mention in the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa and forms part of
the curriculum in various universities. Based in Durban, Khawula’s inspiration
to write stems from his love for his country. His debut novel ,Yihlathi Leli,
won a silver award in the African Languages category at the Sanlam Youth
Literature Awards.
The second panel for the evening, Writing
Transformation, features South African critical thinkers and writers Andile
Mngxitama and Prof Sampie Terreblanche. While Mngxitama writes significantly
around the philosophy and writings of late Black Consciousness leader, Steve
Biko, Terreblanche’s focuses lies on the history of economic thought and policy
matters in South and Southern Africa.
Saturday March 23: The evening’s book
launch is On Being Human, featuring contributions by various writers and
edited by Duduzile Mabaso (Black Letter Media). Music and song by Durban
songbird Skye Wanda will precede the discussion Writing the Other,
featuring the South African panel of Ashwin Desai and Jonny Steinberg. An
activist intellectual, Desai is celebrated the world over for his poignant
articulation of stories about struggle, oppression and resistance.
Award-winning author Steinberg writes about experiences about everyday life in
the wake of South Africa’s transition to democracy. His debut novel Midlands,
about the murder of a white South African farmer, won the Sunday Times Alan
Paton Prize in 2003. This panel discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Frederico
Settler from the Philosophy department at UKZN.
The festival closes with a look at the pertinent issue
with South African writers Shafinaaz Hassim and Kagiso Lesego Molope, in a
panel titled Writing Gender Violence. Hassim, a writer, poet and
sociologist and driving force behind Johannesburg-based publishers, WordFire
Press, recently published a novel on domestic violence titled SoPhia in
November 2012, while Molope’s third novel This Book Betrays my Brother raises
many gender equality issues prevalent in South Africa, amongst them the
perception that women who wear revealing clothing invite sexual advances.
Molope's first novel, Dancing in the Dust, was put on the IBBY
(International Board on Books for Young People) list for 2006, making her the
first Black South African to make the list.
Publishing Forum: Publishing is
undoubtedly one of the central elements in the development of a local literary
culture. That said, a notable event that has become a significant part of the
annual Time of the Writer international writers’ festival, is the Publishing
Forum. Taking place on March 20 between 10h00 and 14h00 at the Centre for
Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, this year’s
forum will feature a range of panels on salient issues within the publishing
landscape. Topics discussed will cover the magazine industry, maximizing
exposure in the world of digital publishing, converting a PhD thesis into a
book and what publishers look for in a manuscript.
In addition to the nightly showcases at the Elizabeth
Sneddon Theatre, a broad range of day activities including seminars and
workshops are formulated to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative
expression. This includes the educator’s forum with teachers on the
implementation of literature in the classroom, the community writing forum with
members of the public interested in literature, visits to schools, and a
prison writing programme.
Book launches take place at the
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre’s Wellington Tavern deck prior to the evening shows,
from 18h45. The first book launch of the festival is the UKZN
English/IsiZulu Book (UKZN Press) – a collaborative venture of stories by
various authors.
Tickets R25 for the evening sessions (R10 students) and
can be purchased through Computicket or at the door one hour before the event.
Workshops and seminars are free.
The full programme of activities, and other
information is available on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za –
Keith Millar
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