Litnet

Following the success of our first Skrywersaand, we are pleased to invite you to our second event in this series on 11 April at Oude Leeskamer in Stellenbosch. Jonathan Amid will poke the bear with these two live-wire authors, asking whether their writing is indeed disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed.

Early in February, the AVBOB Poetry Project announced its first mini-competition for 2024 on the theme of “Across a crowded street”. In a cultural landscape where our words can easily divide us and box us in, poets were invited to find their most urgent words, whether tender and encouraging or new and challenging. Today, we announce the winning poets and share their extraordinary poems.

Kriptaal is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and prints by Gideon Nel and Jotam Schoeman. In this collection of work the artists contemplate the mystery of the cosmic and the particular, each in the style of their own visual language.

"It is often said that South Africa does not have a theatre-going culture, so the day is a good tool to remind the public that theatre exists. I say this partly in jest, because performance and storytelling are part of our country’s cultural core and we are natural audience members (if we break away from stereotypical ideas of 'theatre')."

"Live theatre is a moment to become silent and reflect on life; it’s a moment to peek into something you might not know; it’s a moment to relieve yourself from something that’s causing adversity, or even to confront it creatively."

"It’s difficult to talk about the status of South African theatre without sounding very cynical,  but it is my opinion that many works that are actually really important and should be seen are often poorly attended and funded and therefore cannot gain traction or travel so that more audiences can see them."

"Even though it falls under the entertainment industry, theatre provokes discussions, teaches, and can be therapeutic. It takes a big team to get an idea into fruition. It takes a special team to leave an everlasting mark on someone’s life, be it visually or solely the performance aspect. Theatre moves."

"I am one of the 12 commissioned artists for the Lucky Pakkie programme. This is a very fun initiative where artists are granted 15 minutes, unconventional space, 30 chairs and two sets of lights … and what they come up with is entirely up to them."

"Although water and sanitation service delivery is a local government function in South Africa, it will likely be – like electricity supply – much more prominent in voters’ minds in the upcoming May 2024 national and provincial elections. Voter frustrations about the state of these services recently have boiled over in numerous locations, and may well influence how people vote at national and provincial level."

"This year’s theme for Time of the Writer was 'Reflections, resonance and revival'. Watching the diverse panels online strangely focused my attention on these concepts in ways that maybe an in-person attendance wouldn’t have."

"But it is fantastical, in ways which aren’t entirely positive, to read a contemporary novel which treats the very thin bubble of glamour in the city without asking about the facts lying right within the bubble ..."

"Mary Shelley’s life story underpins Bella Baxter’s story of emancipation."

"World Theatre Day, especially in South Africa, represents a day on which one can reflect on years of authentic storytelling and breaking barriers in a country blessed with diversity and cultural richness."

"[I]n this book she has less 'chosen' the events of her own life than been strong enough to grasp, grapple with and capture them – laid them, you might say, as if on a mortuary slab. Except, mercifully, she didn’t die."

"Any serious writer with purpose will agree that the opportunity to collaborate in dialogue with a diverse group of writers from across the world in various disciplines is a sure way to grow personally as a writer and broaden your scope."

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature invites you to a conference that explores all aspects of children’s literature, from picture books to young adult fiction.

"Halo has oodles of heart and soul and characters that resonate deeply."

Anthony Turton, an expert in water resource management, outlines the extent of the water crisis in South Africa.

Melissa Sussens is a poet dedicated to opening up and maintaining inclusive spaces for poets everywhere. Melissa has shared three exercises that help her to find her own creative spark (and kindle it in others).

It’s time for new adventures for Joburg Ballet as the company gears up for its first ever appearance at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn on 27 and 28 March. The stimulating trio of dance works Joburg Ballet is presenting at the KKNK showcases an impressive line-up of choreographers: South Africa’s Dada Masilo, Chinese-German choreographer Hannah Ma and the Netherlands-based Spanish choreographer Jorge Pérez Martínez.