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The results of the 2022 South African census – and thoughts on every South African learning their "mother tongue plus two"
2023-10-23"Creating the conditions where this kind of multilingualism is fostered involves commitment, leadership in education policy, and an understanding that the long-term benefits of such an approach are worth the time, cost and effort, because it will contribute to social cohesion, individual well-being and the development of new opportunities for speakers."
Press release: UJ announces shortlist for the 2023 UJ Prize for Translation
2023-10-20The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is delighted to present the shortlist for the esteemed 2023 UJ Prize for Translation. This accolade acknowledges the remarkable achievements of translators in the realm of literary translation. UJ received a multitude of entries, each demonstrating remarkable quality, making the process of shortlisting both demanding and rewarding.
Madibaland @ Bookbedonnerd 2023: an interview with Darryl David
2023-10-19"When we created Book Town Richmond, that Obama phrase, 'the audacity of hope', was uppermost in my mind. Because it was sheer audacity to create a Book Town with not a cent to our names. It was sheer audacity to think that writers and bibliophiles would travel nearly 1 000 kilometres to a book festival. And somehow, here we are. Seventeen years later. Against all odds."
Tuis, ek’s liefie: A masterpiece in the making | Toyota US Woordfees 2023
2023-10-18"Tuis, ek’s liefie has all the ingredients of a top-notch comedy piece: a strong text, beautiful set and costumes, a witty and clever directing style and a stellar cast."
Across boundaries: a life in the media in a time of change by Ton Vosloo: a book review
2023-10-17"In 1970, the NP scored a massive victory at the polls, but it was a time that government opposition became weakened and the Progressives gained ground. Was it because the newspapers in the Nasionale Pers were conscientising Afrikaners to start accepting change?"
Sindiwe Magona celebrated with an exhibition at Amazwi
2023-10-17"The exhibition will be open to the public for a number of months."
BookBedonnerd: The road to elsewhere: a review
2023-10-05"In essence, the journey began when he chose to study Afrikaans, which, it must be admitted, was a little strange for an Indian boy in the ’80s."
Abassie se warme worsies
2023-10-05"There is something so intricate and special about going to a butcher, reaching the glass cabinet, glaring at the various kinds of meat, stating your order, watching the items get weighed and finally paying."
Fresh off the press: It’s always Friday somewhere in the universe by Joe Kitchen
2023-10-03Kola K is marooned. He is not sure whether he is marooned on an island, a planet or in another dimension outside time and space. To make matters worse, he is suffering from amnesia.
Press release: The Island Prize 2023–2024 for unpublished African authors
2023-10-02Karen Jennings: "It is through prizes like these that authors across the continent can gain the confidence to tell stories as they wish. The hope is that, with time, such stories will become appreciated across the globe, without first being labelled as an exception or a surprise."
We need to talk
2023-09-28Sihle Khumalo says conversation is important. We need to talk about the difficult things, the hard things, the things that make us uncomfortable. Freek Robinson starts the conversation.
Press Release: Celebration of Sindiwe Magona, Puku Children’s Literature Foundation
2023-09-28Two highlights of the programme are the launch of Amazwi’s new exhibition on the life and work of literary legend Sindiwe Magona and the launch of the Masifunde Sonke Reading Programme by the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation and Rhodes University.
On racism at book festivals
2023-09-28"White supremacy must be stopped. Festivals should be safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces to all."
André Brink’s Kennis van die aand – published 50 years ago – was the first Afrikaans literary work to be banned
2023-09-27André Brink tells the story in letters to Anthony Akerman: "But still, I’m going to try my damnedest. For the amended Act, due to come out next year, may be the last nail in our little literary coffin."
Strong story, adaptation and team make The promise this year’s must-see stage production
2023-09-27"This is theatre and theatre-making at its best."
Countdown to socialism by Anthea Jeffery: The ANC’s road to Karl Marx
2023-09-26"To read Jeffery’s compelling exposé is to realise that, for the past 30 years, the average South African has been a victim of the greatest imaginable confidence trick."
Better than ever: Open Book Festival 2023
2023-09-20"For me, Open Book was special in a different way. I have been attending literary festivals around the world as a reader for a quarter of a century, as a writer for almost two decades and as a publisher for the past four years, but never before have I felt that I truly embodied all three of these roles simultaneously and so fully at an event."
After nature by Lien Botha and Jaco van Schalkwyk: "An interconnected offering"
2023-09-20Vernon Head reflects on After nature, a collaborative exhibition by artists Lien Botha and Jaco van Schalkwyk, currently on show at Barnard Gallery.
One human family against evil empires
2023-09-20"The literary controversy by author Elizabeth Gilbert, of the popular book Eat pray love, seems to have passed unnoticed on South Africa’s literary scene ... She delayed its publication indefinitely after receiving flak from Ukraine supporters and citizens."
Fresh off the press: A whistling of birds by Isobel Dixon
2023-09-19Threaded throughout is the beautiful complexity and vulnerability of the planet, and the joy and difficulty of making art, as each poem becomes its own vivid testament to the natural world.