Z P Dala, one of the featured writers at the Time of the Writer
Festival which took place in Durban from March 16 to 21, was assaulted a day
after expressing her admiration for the writing style of Salman Rushdie.
On March 18, Dala's car was followed from the festival hotel
and she was harassed by three men in a vehicle who forced her to stop. She was
hit in the face with a brick and called "Rushdie's bitch".
She has been treated by her doctor and has reported the
incident to the police.
Dala believes that the attack occurred as a result of a
comment she made during a writing forum for schools at the Chatsworth Education
Centre. When asked which writers she admired, Dala answered that she liked
Salman Rushdie's literary style. A group of teachers and learners left the
forum.
Steve Connolly, Managing Director of Penguin Random House in
South Africa, says: "We condemn completely the brutish attack on author ZP
Dala. Her crime? To have expressed her admiration for the writing of Salman
Rushdie, which heralded a walk-out by teachers and students. Have we reached
such a state of intolerance that we cannot listen to one writer profess
admiration for another without wanting to attack her with a brick and a knife?
If our constitution is to mean anything we must ensure our right to free
speech."
Dala's debut novel, What
About Meera, was published in March by Umuzi.
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