Litnet

Die internasionaal-gerekende Suid-Afrikaanse kunstenaar Mary Sibande is die ontvanger van die Helgaard Steyn-prys, vanjaar toegeken vir beeldhoukuns. | Internationally-acclaimed South African artist Mary Sibande has been awarded this year’s Helgaard Steyn Prize.

PEN South Africa is excited to announce a new six-episode season of The Empty Chair podcast.

How do we represent Africa as a multicultural, multifaceted continent to our readers? How do we embrace diversity in early readers for Africa’s kids? And how do we market our wonderful African stories to a Eurocentric world?

In this, the fifth episode of his monthly podcast series, David Attwell talks to Zakes Mda about his latest, and possibly his last, novel. 

"I saw the deaths of twenty-somethings
crawl behind me,
dressed in fire suits"

"By an invisible force that will not sway 
And its purpose to disrupt and to set asunder  
And rob this world of all its wonder"

"This is a simple tale of a love-struck man, wanting out from what has become a tedious and unfulfilling life. In essence, it is a tragicomedy, a fated love story, a fable of our times, in which Tubby Reddy is himself complicit."

African comics are created for Africans, not the East, nor the West. “I draw myself,” one panellist said. Yet many African comics find their way into Europe, simply because our comics are of international quality.

"On Sunday, 5 December more than 500 people met at Surfer’s Corner on Beach Road in Muizenberg to protest against seismic blasting off the South African coast."

"If I had wanted to attack the heart of Afrikanerdom, I would have put a bomb, even a tiny one, in or around the Voortrekker Monument." In 2011, Hélène Passtoors received the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo for her contribution to the armed struggle against apartheid. In this exclusive interview with Melt Myburgh, she shares memories about her life as an MK operative.

It’s that time again! Join us for our fifth annual #ReadingAfrica Week celebration. Each year, in the first full week of December (this year, December 5–11, 2021), we invite publishers, authors, librarians, literary organisations, bookstores and book lovers of all kinds to share the best in African literature across social media.

"What my friend failed to mention was that the gevaarlike Jordanian couldn’t help us both at the same time, and due to my impatience, I landed in the chair of Abbaas Sylvester."

If you number yourself among the yearners, or perhaps even want to dip your toes in the waters of fiction, or need to satisfy your curiosity about what being “sunnies” to an author’s wild imaginings entails, then why not join PEG’s climactic webinar of 2021?

SAMA award-winning artist Matthew Mole and Fleur du Cap winner Zolani Mahola “The one who sings”, join the stellar programme on 19 December 2021 and 30 January 2022 respectively.

The AVBOB Poetry Competition closes on 30 November 2021 at 23:59! Enter up to 10 poems in any of South Africa’s 11 official languages. Here are three focus points to enhance your understanding of writing a winning poem.

"Of worlds and lands beyond and far away 
That place where my soul longs to stay 
Further than the moon or even Mars"

"the fear and dread that astounds me 
I let it be 
duly unaware of what you might see"

"Knowing that you have someone to turn to when experiencing personal struggles is the best act of kindness anyone could ask for. Mentorship can drastically transform a person’s life and, in turn, make a significant difference in South Africa."

"Sol T Plaatje: A life in letters provides an important glimpse into the life of Plaatje, his ideas, his relationships and the world in which he lived. Another important feature of note in the book is the index, which is critically important and will greatly ease the task of future researchers."

After the municipal elections, a new future? Straight-shooting Herman Mashaba tells Freek Robinson what it takes to establish coalitions.