The South African Book Fair Rounds up with a Meeting Between the Past and the Present

The South African Book Fair rounds up with a meeting between the past and the present

“To be a great writer, you have to be a great reader. – ZakesMda

Johannesburg, South Africa (10 September 2017) -- After three days of rigorousdebate, questioning and celebration the South African Book Fair (SABF) in association with the Fibre, processing and manufacturing (FP&M) SETA has come to an end. Hosted at Museum Africa, Newtown, the last day of proceedings brought Prof. ZakesMda, SindiweMagona, Deon Meyer and AchmatDangor together to discuss life and what writing has meant to them. The session was lauded as one of the highlights of the fair, which many wished to attend for longer.

“My success is to have youngsters like KopanoMatlwa growing up knowing they can become authors because they look like me. The first book I saw written by someone that looks like me, I was pushing 30. It was a book by Maya Angelou. We need a committed support for local authors and stories as Africans,” said Magona.

Stressing the importance of exploring alternative avenues for the survival of the book, Mda said: “To be a great writer, you have to be a great reader. We need to adapt to the kwaito music distribution system in literature. We cannot rely on book stores alone because they do not reach the masses.”

A book talk on the works of authors such as AyòbámiAdébáyò,LidudumalinganiMqombothi and YewandeOmotoso gave attendees a view into forthcoming literature being brewed on the continent.

“As Africans, we are up against many stereotypes and fiction writers are the ones who do the work of changing that,” said moderator KaraboKgoleng.

Other literary sessions which had everyone’s tongues wagging included Racism: The immovable stain with GugulethuMhlungu, Khadija Patel and Zimitri Erasmus and The Long Shadow: Colonialism, corruption and Apartheid which saw Hennie van Vuuren (author of Apartheid Guns and Money), MandlaLanga and Michael Schmidt.

The Fair, which was a gathering of writers, poets, publishers and readers, turned Newtown into a hub of activity centered around the theme #OURSTORIES. The weekend saw South Africans from all walks of life engaging in the things that matter to them, proving once again that the book is not dead.

Furthermore, the weekend also brings National Book Week, in association with the Department of Arts and Culture, to an end. Having traveled to all nine provinces, the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) saw the entire country reading and engaging the written word with fervor.

This year’s Fair laid the perfect foundation for many more to come, which can only provide more opportunities for South Africans to rediscover and gain more access to books which will hopefully continue to take #OURSTORIES to the world.

For more information on the South African Book Fair, please visit:

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Issued By:

TlhogiNgwato

On Point PR

PR Account Director

And,

Vista Kalipa

Director of Public Relations