Litnet

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.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Summer School 2022 programme is designed to immerse you in new ideas, expert insight and creative thinking – to enlighten, entertain and inspire. While courses are available online, participants can also return to the annual university experience in 2022, with the opportunity to meet people from Cape Town’s diverse communities.

Poet PJ Philander was born on 25 November 1921. Nearing what would have been PJ Philander’s 100th birthday, his son Peter Harker Philander shares an essay about his father with LitNet readers: "[PJ Philander] missed Afrikaans and Afrikaans speakers and sought them out when he could."

While this book exposes corporate corruption and lifts the lid on foreign profiteering and the weakening of South Africa’s public institutions, it also highlights the lonely burden of the whistleblower and the great personal cost of telling the truth in the face of overwhelming pressure.

"My attraction to food teaches me to forget the emotional pain. It calms me. It wants me. There are so many ways an addict validates what they are doing."

Janet van Eeden: "I tried to interview Athol Williams about his new book of poetry called Whistleblowing, but the timing was never quite right, as he was fearing for his safety. Therefore, I put together comments of my own and quoted from poems from his above publication to create a commentary, and also cited an earlier interview I did with Williams in 2012."

"The elections bring more uncertainty in the system. The elections show that the ANC is indeed in trouble, but so is the DA."

"De Klerk was never trusted by the securocrats – they preferred the old boys’ club of PW Botha, Magnus Malan, Kobie Coetsee, Louis le Grange and Adriaan Vlok. They saw him as a softie, a weakling, a goody two shoes, a bluestocking."

"After planting the bomb, Harris phoned a warning to the station police and to two national newspapers half an hour before it was timed to explode, but no warning was relayed to station commuters on the concourse."

"Regrettably, Mr de Lange is incorrect to think of SALA as a competition. Instead, it is a celebration of the literary craft as an instrument of artistic, creative and cultural expression within the context of our diverse and multicultural society."

"This book allows one to understand how the arbitrary discourses of colonial subjugation and racial repression changed and took on new grammars of human degradation and regression."

The Madibaland World Literary Festival takes place from 20 to 28 November 2021. Here is the full programme. Register now! It is free.

 "COVID-19 was the catalyst that kick-started the new world. It has brought about ten years’ change in one month."

"I recommend it – engrossing and tender – to all who face the challenges of letting go, to readers heading for a time of life without children, perhaps without partners, and considering, with hope, what fruitful – also intense and challenging – years may lie ahead."

Why is Ethiopia at war? What is the role of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize? Is this a repeat of 1974, when the people of Tigray led a revolt on Addis Ababa?