(Above: Professor Njabulo
Ndebele)
The 29th edition of the renowned Time of the Writer festival
presented by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts has
conferred a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on Professor
Njabulo Ndebele, in recognition of his extraordinary and enduring
contribution to South African literature and intellectual life.
Shafinaaz Hassim, the curator of the 2026 Time of the Writer festival, says: “Professor Ndebele stands as one of the country’s most influential literary figures—an author, scholar, and public intellectual whose work has shaped not only how South African stories are told, but how they are understood. From his seminal collection of essays, which called for a turn toward “the ordinary” in South African narrative, to his acclaimed novel The Cry of Winnie Mandela, his writing has consistently challenged dominant modes of representation while opening new imaginative and ethical possibilities.”
Across decades, Professor Ndebele’s influence has extended beyond the page. As an academic leader and cultural thinker, Professor Ndebele has played a pivotal role in nurturing generations of writers, scholars, and readers, helping to build a literary culture grounded in critical reflection, historical awareness, and creative courage.
Ismail Mahomed, the Director of the Centre for Creative Arts, says: “The Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges both the depth of his literary achievements and the breadth of his impact on South Africa’s cultural and intellectual landscape. It honours a body of work marked by intellectual clarity, narrative innovation, and a sustained commitment to exploring the complexities of human experience in a society shaped by profound change.”
Speaking on behalf of the Centre for Creative Arts, he noted that honouring Professor Ndebele affirms the festival’s ongoing commitment to recognising voices that have not only defined South African literature, but have also expanded its horizons for future generations.
The 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival which was presented in Durban between March 23 – 28, 2026, continued its tradition as a vital platform for literary exchange, bringing together 100 writers from across South Africa to engage in dialogue, performance, and reflection. Participants also included writers from Norway, Ivory Coast, Ukraine and Palestine. The 30th edition of the Time of the Writer festival will take from March 16 to 21 2027.
The Time of the Writer festival took place from March 23 to 28, 2026. The complete festival schedule including the Children’s Festival programme can be viewed at https://tow.ukzn.ac.za/29th-online/
All events to the festival were free. The 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival was supported by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, National Arts Council of South Africa and the KZN Department of Sport, Arts & Culture. Festival partners include the Wits Writing Centre, DALRO, KZNSA Gallery, the Alliance Française (Durban) and the ATKV.
The 30-year Centre for Creative Arts is a multi-disciplinary cultural hub in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Centre is renowned for presenting 5 of South Africa’s leading arts festivals – the Time of the Writer festival (29 years), JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival (28 years), Durban International film Festival (46 years), Poetry Africa (30 years) and the Artfluence Human Rights Festival (5 years). The Centre for Creative Arts is also host of the 5th World Slam Poetry Competition which will present 40 slam poets from forty nations competing for the global title in Durban during October 2026.
ABOUT THE CURATOR:
Shafinaaz Hassim is an multi award-winning author and
sociologist. Her more than 18 titles have received international and local
acclaim. In 2014, she was listed by UNESCO as one of the top 39 writers in
Africa under the age of 40. Her novels have been commended by the SALA and
NIHSS awards and the UJ Prize for Creative Writing. She is also the author of
the five-book Nisa Qamar series for young adults, which has been shortlisted
twice for the Minara Aziz Hassim Literary Awards and the prestigious Sanlam
Prize for Youth Literature 2019. Her novel Darlings
of Durban received noteworthy accolade. Kimya
Writes is her latest series. Hassim presents a popular book review show
called BookBytes, showcasing cutting
edge writing from local and international authors. She brings her varied
industry expertise to the curation of Time of the Writer Festival.
NB: To link directly
to the Centre for Creative Arts website, click on the logo advert to the right
of this page.
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