Nancy Richards (photo: http://www.womanzonect.com/)
Do female writers – and women, in general – have equal opportunities to their male counterparts in South Africa? Maybe festivals like the Artscape Women's Humanity Arts Festival can help ordinary members of the public engage in meaningful conversations regarding topics like these – and about what it means to be a woman in modern South African society.
Naomi Meyer chats to Nancy Richards from Woman Zone about the upcoming festival, which takes place at the Artscape Theatre from the 2nd to the 12th of August 2017.
Women Zone (http://www.womanzonect.com/)
What is the Women’s Humanity Festival – and what is this about?
The Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival is an annual event, now in its 11th year.
Woman Zone is an organisation that has its home and Woman’s Library at Artscape.
Woman Zone envisions:
- bringing together women from all communities, and uniting Cape Town with various projects and events;
- offering an inclusive space to share and develop skills and ideas through workshops, gatherings, networking and mentorship;
- focusing on women’s strengths and all spheres of achievement in and around Cape Town;
- a hub / resource centre on the ground level of Artscape, incorporating books, exhibitions and stories.
Woman Zone events that are part of the festival are:
5 August: The Everywoman Project workshop
8 August: Story Café: Women and their Books, where the three authors will be talking
9 August: The Women’s Humanity Walk
Please would you tell me something about the three authors who will be at the festival?
Here is a little background on the three authors:
Ambre Nicolson, author of An A to Z of amazing South African women, will be present with her publisher, Colleen Higgs of Modjaji Books.
As a writer, Ambre has published poems and stories in literary magazines in South Africa for the past 15 years.
Publisher Colleen is both renowned and respected as the founder of her independent publishing house, which publishes books by women. Modjaji Books celebrates 10 years of publishing women this year.
They will shed light on the stories behind the stories of the “amazing” women in this book.
Maxine Case is an award-winning author, and writes both short stories and novels. Her debut, All we have left unsaid, won the 2007 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book: Africa Region, and was the joint winner of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize 2007. She will talk about her new book, Softness of the lime, and the background to this tale of passion and integrity, love and betrayal in the time of slavery.
Thobeka Yose is a newcomer to the literary scene, and she will share her own story, told with honesty, courage and hope, in her self-published book, In silence.
Any practical information you can share about this event?
All women and men are invited to attend all the events at the festival and the Woman Zone events.
Book tickets through Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695, and check the Artscape website for up-to-date information and the full programme: www.artscape.co.za.
Full info on the festival is here: http://www.artscape.co.za/news-article/artscape-women-s-humanity-arts-festival/109/.
