Litnet

"At this juncture in our country’s history, the words of Thomas Hardy come to mind when one thinks of the Springboks: 'Happiness is but an occasional episode in a general drama of pain.' Thanks to the Springboks for being the happiness in our lives."

"What I didn’t know was that when I arrived in Amsterdam, Breyten was wandering around Hillbrow with a false French passport and the assumed identity of Christian Galaska."

Download the complete Summer School brochure here. The Summer School has added four free sessions to the programme. Most of the authors are UCT alumni and staff. This will give you an opportunity to meet and engage with them.

In The truth about Cape slavery, Patric Tariq Mellet argues that modern South Africa – its economy and politics – is shaped and established on the foundation of chattel slavery just like the United States of America. Cape slavery, rather than minor, was a crucial feature of maritime capitalism. This then moved to become the cornerstone of the Cape’s agricultural economy. Read an excerpt here.

"How and when will we find the simplification and Google Understanding Translate to help overcome the language and lexicon barriers to human understanding of universal or global issues?"

"As a government agency, we take our mandate from our country’s Constitution to work actively and diligently toward implementing social cohesion, human rights, equity, equality and the mainstreaming of accessibility for all persons impaired by disabilities, among other duties."

The Springboks made history in France in 2023 when they became the only team to win the Webb Ellis Trophy four times. Who can forget how the Boks won by only one point in three games? Released on the anniversary of this milestone, Twice the glory by Lloyd Burnard and Khanyiso Tshwaku investigates how this remarkable victory was achieved.

Graham Hopkins gesels met Maryke Roberts oor My fair lady wat van 12 Desember tot 12 Januarie in die Kunstekaap Operahuis opgevoer word voor dit na Johannesburg en Durban reis: "Kuns is universeel en goeie kuns weerspieël die mensdom, onbeperk deur tyd en konteks. Ons moet ’n eng, hier-en-nou beoordeling van teater vermy."

It is with deep sorrow that the Breytenbach family announces the passing of Breyten Breytenbach earlier today, Sunday 24 November 2024.

As a young journalist, roped into court reporting to cover Jacob Zuma’s 2006 rape trial, Karyn Maughan could not have known that she would be reporting on Zuma’s legal woes for the next two decades – and would herself become his target.

In 2025, AmaBooks Publishers will publish Tsitsi Mutiti’s translation of Mapenzi by Ignatius Mabasa into English under the title Madmen, while the University of Georgia Press is set to release the translation in North America. Philani A Nyoni talks to Ignatius Mabasa about this new lease of life on his iconic multi-award-winning book, and what it means to him and the zeitgeist after a quarter century in circulation.

"Trump has not won in spite of his ugliness. He has won because that ugliness is appealing to millions. They believe that ugliness is strength. And the hate he speaks is their secret belief."

The clock is ticking! The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition closes at 23:59 on 30 November 2024. Don’t miss your chance to be part of South Africa’s biggest poetry event! Through the AVBOB Poetry Project, thousands of poems in all 11 official written languages are hosted online, creating an archive where poets of all levels can connect, learn and grow.

This book documents the stories of southern African insects in over 800 pages, with 3 200 beautiful photographs illustrating the rich morphological diversity and biological attributes of the insect species of the region. We emphasise their environmental importance as ecosystem service providers, and narrate, highlight, and illustrate many of the interesting, often remarkable, aspects of their life histories and behaviour, a first for insects of this region.

"Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi and I, as writers who hail from the Eastern Cape, have had the dream of reckoning with the literary history of the Eastern Cape for as long as we have known each other. When, last year, there were celebrations of 200 years of Xhosa in the written word, we thought it an opportune moment to put the idea into action. The Gompo Book and Cultural Festival to be held in East London on 21 to 23 March 2025 is the tentative first step towards accomplishing this goal."

"In the writer’s ink lies the elixir to immortality. What’s done is done; the battle has been lost and won. While the breath is gone, the words still shine. The library lives on; it did not burn down."

"Hier het ons die geleentheid om ’n kykie in die binnewerke van die man agter die naam te kry, in sy eie woorde en uit sy eie perspektief. Maar terselfdertyd trek hy ook op besonderse wyse die gordyn weg sodat ons kan sien hoe die organisasie waaraan hy sy lewe gewy het, werk."

Maneo Mohale is a poet, feminist writer and editor whose debut collection Everything is a deathly flower (uHlanga, 2019) won the 2020 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. Read their extraordinary list poem here and be reminded of poetry’s roots in song, magic and ritual. The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition remains open until midnight on 30 November 2024.

"By stripping people of their individuality and freedom, the Taliban’s interpretation of Shariah robs Afghan men and women of the respect and agency they are afforded in Islam. True Shariah fosters an environment of moral integrity, where both men and women are encouraged to respect, support, and uplift each other – values that stand in stark contrast to the Taliban’s narrow, authoritarian vision."

"For all you South Africans reading this, I hope you cheer us on over the next four years as we Americans – we sometimes foolish and arrogant, but also generous and kind, Americans – learn these incredibly valuable lessons. I’m standing strong for hope, change and generosity of spirit."