The inaugural Gauteng International Book Festival, held in Soweto on the 11th of December 2022, surpassed all expectations. It became a resounding success with its director, Lorraine Sithole, calling it “a positive beginning”. Plans are already at hand to make it a three-day event on 10-12 December 2023. Most people I interviewed were impressed by the smoothness of its operation, albeit the programme starting a little late. For the whole week the area of Johannesburg had been under torrential rains. The damaged road infrastructure was visible when we drove into the oldest township of South Africa. Fears abounded that since the main events of the book festival were held in tents with open sides, due to lingering Covid-19 considerations, this might cause major problems for the attendees. But the skies remained shut the whole day and the patrons came in numbers.
The children’s programme was the star of the show with active and reading activities. Thanks to various sponsors the kids left with full hands, from books to food and toys. The adult programme was packed with informative sessions. The authors came from all backgrounds with a venerable mix of self-published and new ones as well. Among the various successful ones were the likes of Dudu Busani – talking about her made-to-TV series, Hlomu books, as The Wife. Fred Khumalo, who talked with her about her latest book, which is an apt collection of stories set mostly in the township, was his characteristic humorous self.
The convulsive nature of our politics was discussed by the panel titled “The State of the Nation” with Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi of the Land Matter and The land is Ours books and Songezo Zibi, the former editor of Business Day and author of the popular Manifesto that delves deep into the problems of our current politics. The suggested solutions to these problems were interrogated in the session with Bhekisisa Mncube’s book, The Ramaphosa Chronicles, based on the collection from his Natal Witness column, taking a deceptively light touch on the topic.
Nokuthula Mazibuko, co-founder of the festival and born in Soweto, said of the festival: “Award-winning best-selling writers were fully in attendance, holding the attentive audience firmly in the palms of their hands with topical and interesting talk. What a party! With festival director Lorraine Sithole expertly conducting the most sublime of mostly historical and political discussions, and Mbali Ngobese steering the cheerful and animated children’s readings and storytelling sessions. The kids enjoyed McDonald’s meals and toys thanks to the sponsors! The adults had treats from Ubuntu Kraal Lifestyle’s very own brewery. Readers bought books from the best bookstore in South Africa – Book Circle Capital. Thank you, Gauteng, and thank you, Soweto for coming to Ubuntu Kraal Lifestyle in numbers. Thank you, Heavens for temporarily seizing the rains and even giving us a glimpse or two of the golden sun! See you all next Dezemba! Makwande!”
It was also apt that Ubuntu Kraal, where the festival was held, is a stone’s throw away from the famous Vilikazi Street where the Mandelas and Tutus lived in Soweto. The street was named after Benedict Wallet Vilakazi, the first graduate to obtain a PhD from a South African tertiary institution (University of Witwatersrand), who wrote the first collections of Zulu poetry and other books. It is currently the most vibrant street for the hospitality-industry area, and as things go, extremely gentrified, which would probably have made Vilakazi, who was a convert to the religion and monastic spirituality of Catholicism, uncomfortable. The book festival was often visited by the curious looks of overseas tourists. The black American crew sat down to chat and I managed to recommend a few books for them which they duly bought from the mobile stand of the Book Circle Capital (BCC). Based in Melville, the BCC is an independently owned bookshop that is fast becoming the signature of the Gauteng book world. Sewela Langeni, its co-founder with her husband, told me: “GIBF was an exceptional experience for BCC as a bookseller. Over 200 books were sold on the day. A first for us. It showed what is possible and definitely provided ample learning opportunities.”
The idea of GIBF, aka Soweto Book Festival, is to promote reading for pleasure, particularly in the townships and other less privileged areas. The use of independent booksellers is also deliberate to offer them a breathing space and a chance to grow, especially after the demise of the recent pandemic. Already established authors were paired with new ones as a way of introducing them to the greater reading public. All this helped with diversifying our literature platforms. Dr Siphiwo Mahala, the founder and editor of the equally popular, in black reading spaces, Imbiza Literary Journal says of the GIBF: “Gauteng International Book Festival is a welcome addition to South Africa’s literary calendar. It has revived the excitement about books and a culture of reading in the biggest township in South Africa. Its inclusive character, featuring authors and audiences with diverse backgrounds, as well as a dedicated children’s component, makes it a truly South African book festival.”
Tana Makgoka, the director of Umlando Wabantu and member of Dinelwane Book Club in Hatfield, Pretoria, which attracts young people from UP, TUT and those living in Hatfield and Arcadia, said of the event: “I’ve spent almost 20 years in the non-profit sector, working on various social issues. Currently, I teach young people at community arts centres in townships across Gauteng. I generally find myself having to start from scratch with critical thinking, reading for comprehension, and writing skills before getting to the content of the course, because of the poor quality of education my students have received while they were at school. But it’s more critical that we address the pedagogical approach of our educators which does not adequately account for the lack of intellectual confidence of black (and brown) learners and the legacy of cognitive violence perpetrated by the oppressive systems we’ve been exposed to. Reading for pleasure is also not common in townships. Yet, young people in townships are intelligent and talented, but investment into these spaces is not happening in a strategic and sustained way and when investments are made, it doesn’t result in resources circulating and remaining within the township. So, I hope Lorraine Sithole continues hosting the festival IN the township because that was the real magic of Sunday’s event.”
The book clubs around Johannesburg were at the centre of the success of the inaugural GIBF. Several of them are mostly composed of black women members and were well represented at the festival, carrying their branded book bags and cooler bags. I had the pleasure meeting them, especially some who have BookTube channels, like Charity who runs @Bookedoncharity. She told me she would make sure to bring more of the fantasy genre next year. Speaking for one of them Puleng Hopper, who is not only an avid reader but also an excellent book reviewer, said: “Members of Between The Covers (BTC) book club, convened at Ubuntu Kraal in Soweto on December 11th 2022. We were part of the attendees of the inaugural Gauteng International Book Festival, with our member, Pumza Shabangu, being a panellist in the session titled ‘Feminism is for everyone’.
“We were like kids in a candy store, as we hobnobbed with authors like Dudu Busani-Dube, Dr Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang, Sue Nyathi, Fred Khumalo, Tshidiso Moletsane, Joanne Joseph, Barbara Masekela, Thandeka Makhubu, Busisekile Khumalo, and many others. It was a pleasure to witness a number of authors in the audience who had come to support their counterparts. We spotted Lebo Mazibuko, Rasheeda Khan, Barbara Adair, Yamkela Tywakadi, Lufuno Mulaudzi, Lynn Joffe and others. Book Circle Capital, the designated bookseller at the festival, was the reason we went home with sought-after books. It was an informative, well-attended, and fun-filled day with a loving bookish community that is part of the value chain of books. Book clubs always come out to play, Bookamoso Bookclub, Clique Bookclub, BookWormers GP, Vuvu Reads, Pebi Reads, and rbtwbookclub, were in the thick of things. Well done to team Lorraine Sithole. We are looking forward to #GIBF23.”
The premises, which is the home of Soweto Laager brewery, has a licensed restaurant and several bar areas and beautiful green-lawned picnic spaces. Its verdant open spaces are conducive to book reading and discussions. It was also great to see publishers throw their weight behind GIBF, especially Pan Macmillan South Africa, which in my estimation was most represented with authors and marketing visibility on the day. My own publishers, Black Bird Books and Kwela (NB Publishers) were also represented. Penguin Books (SA) brought Tembeka Ngcukaitobi and their glory boy for the moment, Tshidiso Moletsane, whose book Junx won the Sunday Times Literary Award 2022. Joanne Joseph, whose fascinating historical novel about early South African Indian history, represented Jonathan Ball. She told me: “The inaugural GIBF is a vibrant addition to the literary scene, which I hope grows from strength to strength. Other authors, like me, felt it an honour to be invited to speak to an engaging, enthusiastic audience in a space where people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life were all welcome and singly united in our love for literature. Significantly, the fair did not downplay the importance of books to the development of young people, creating a specialised programme in which they could participate. My sense is that the GIBF is going to become an important annual event on the country’s literary calendar in years to come.”
We all echo these sentiments. Makwande!
- Photographs provided by the author