Litnet

"21 Lessons for the 21st century was such an insightful read that I gained great respect for the author of this book. I tried to keep notes, as I typically do, but the number of quotations that I loved from this book became so many, that I accepted that I would not be able to use them all in one impression."

"I loved this autobiography of the legendary Sir Elton John!"

"Is Niq saying what I think he is saying? That white judges will choose white winners? And, by implication, black judges will choose black winners? How else is one to interpret his quote, 'But when the judges are white, the people who win will be white'? The judging process is, at the best of times, a highly subjective act, and is not swayed by the race of judges."

While many eisteddfod events and other festivals planned for 2020 have been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 challenge, The National Eisteddfod Academy (NEA) is happy to announce that its national eisteddfod activities for 2020 will go ahead as planned.

Die wenners van die Media24 Boeke Literêre Pryse vir 2020 is vanaand (Donderdag 18 Junie 2020) bekend gemaak. Meer as 80 boeke wat in 2019 by Media24-uitgewerye verskyn het, is vanjaar ingeskryf in ses kategorieë met prysgeld van altesaam R210 000.

Read the commendations of all the books on the shortlist – and the announcement of the winner!

Read the commendations of all the books on the shortlist – and the announcement of the winner!

Lees die commendatio’s van al die boeke op die kortlys – en ook die aankondiging van die wenner.

Read the commendations of the books on this shortlist – and the announcement of the winner!

Lees die aanbevelings vir hierdie kortlys – en ook die aankondiging van die wenner!

Hier is die aanbevelings op hierdie kortlys – en die aankondiging van die wenner.

Hier is die commendatio’s van al die boeke op hierdie kortlys, en die wenaankondiging.

"I do not typically 'score' books, but since this is a book about a sporting legend, I decided that I would have to give the book 5 out of 10."

"Racial inequalities are afforded fresh insight, and with the current resurgence of movements like #BlackLivesMatter, books such as Ives’s seem to call louder each day. What better way to delve into South Africa’s socio-political underbelly than with a cup of tea?"

Today we need the voices of artists, thinkers, writers, and arts educators to help us examine and navigate this new world that is not only experiencing a physical pandemic, but witnessing reactions to the pandemic of racial discrimination that has for centuries divided and enraged communities across the world.

"The idea of whites in colonial Africa conjures up images of pith helmets and khaki shorts, rural landscapes and vast estates, madams and masters parked on verandas alternately sipping gin and barking orders at African servants. Such stereotypes present whites as a uniformly wealthy and homogenous group, secure atop a binary power structure." Duncan Money and Danelle van Zyl-Hermann, editors of Rethinking white societies in southern Africa, 1930s–1990s. 

"[E]ngage in dialogues with other artists; take a duologue and Zoom it with another actor; join the Facebook Shakespeare soliloquy group and learn and perform a favourite soliloquy online; plan a season for a small theatre venue for the first six months after lockdown …"

The festival’s website is readying itself to become a virtual stage: all events will be accessed through the website portal – both curated work and un-selected "fringe" events. The curated programme is a schedule of events that will be released each day from 25 June to 5 July. 

Concerts Connect is proud to present the second concert in a premier series of three concerts on 14 June 2020 at 15:30. From the magnificent Casa Labia in Muizenberg, Nina Schumann will present a solo piano recital featuring an eclectic programme of works by Bach, Haydn, Debussy and Rachmaninoff.

Judges praise winning stories "that are striking for their lateral leaps, their use of language, voice and subversion – and their sheer courage".