Litnet

The vandalising of close to 30 schools through arson and other means in Vuwani from late in April to early May left the nation puzzled. Hans Pienaar spoke to a resident who prefers to remain anonymous, as he fears for his safety.

"Jennifer Platt, the Sunday Times Books Editor, says the 2016 shortlist finalists represent 'books of quality, that take the temperature and pulse of the nation'."

"We understand completely the points made about decolonisation, and believe that creating, building and enhancing book festivals is key to reaching and growing the South African book-reading base."

The third Spier Poetry Festival: dancing in other words took place on Saturday, 7 May.

"In the above, the interdependence between me, the writer, and you, the reader; between Kropotkin and Darwin; between Fourie and Ramose; and so between different human populations and the primacy of humane, ethical and equitable relations is thus the only discernible law of nature according to ubuntu and African philosophy."

The dancing in other words / dansende digtersfees is an annual international poetry event, curated by Breyten Breytenbach, Dominique Botha and composer Neo Muyanga. This year's participating poets were introduced at a special Poets’ Welcome Dinner at Spier on Sunday, 1 May.

"The translator should be patient and persevering: endurance is the solution to difficult problems which may have left the translator in despair for quite some time." – Hans C ten Berge

"This fine and moving text by an author originally from elsewhere is a rich contribution to the African library ..."

Six award-winning Johannesburg novelists, Fred Khumalo, Harry Kalmer, Ivan Vladislavic, James Whyle, Kleinboer and Yewande Omotoso will be reading new and published work at David Krut Books.

"Having come out of apartheid and decades of censorship, as a society we are incredibly wary of any kind of censorship, particularly if it comes from institutions. As we should be. But in almost every case where white South African visual artists have screamed 'censorship' I’ve struggled to locate institutional/governmental censorship ..."

"Acquiring new artworks and curating desirable images and objects is the easy part. The hard part is changing the inner workings of the actual institution, not just the look of the institution."

An invitation to attend the seminar and film on Thursday 28 April, 17:00 to 19:00, Room 228, Arts and Social Sciences Building, University of Stellenbosch 

"Poetry celebrates life through the aesthetic ordering of language comparable to the way music does through its aesthetic ordering of sound."

"One way to decolonise objects in a meaningful way is to let go of the Ozymandian idea that art has to last in one form, for all time, in order to have meaning or force. After fire, new things grow."

The Franschhoek Literary Festival will take place on 13, 14 and 15 May 2016.

"it is the eve of life's death
and i am departing with
a glow of being
my spirit ablaze with
celestial splendour"

"Poetry is a desperate move to express what we can't express." – Georges Lory

"Luc Panhuysen has written a marvellous book on a period of Cape and South African history that truly enriches South African historiography. The painstaking task of rendering the original Dutch into Afrikaans, thus making it accessible to readers in this country, was undertaken by Wium Van Zyl."

There is an abiding legacy of Jews and words and the Jewish Literary Festival will explore the rich tradition of disputation, debate and dialogue with over 45 events that span Sunday May 22 in the many venues at the Gardens Community Centre in Cape Town.

"I am totally opposed to the kind of direct action that was taken in Cape Town and now in other places. It precludes discussion and I think a democracy is based on the idea that when you have differences you can talk about it … it’s fundamental …"