Cape Town - The Madibaland World Literary Festival will gather 150 writers including travel writers, foodies, novelists, poets, journalists and others from around the globe to share their work and world views.
The Madibaland World Literary Festival, a partnership between the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Book Town Richmond, honours three of Nelson Mandela’s greatest passions - communication, education and connection.
Local literary legends including Ashwin Desai, Fred Khumalo and Antjie Krog will join Nigerian wordsmith Chris Abani, Dutch writer Gerbrand Bakker (Boven is het stil (The twin) / De omweg (The detour)) and Irish genre-bending bestseller John Connell (The Cow Book) at the festival.
“In South Africa, we’re going through a rough time at the moment,” said Madibaland organiser and UWC Education Lecturer (and Book Town Richmond founder) Darryl David.
“We’re a very divided country - and more than that, I think the world is a very divided place. I wanted to put something together that had a unifying influence on people - something where, even just for ten days, we spread a different virus: a virus of love; of unity; of oneness.”
Travel writers will share the stage with political figures including Ronnie Kasrils while foodies and historians alike can enjoy John T. Edge (The Potlikker Papers) discussing the US South, examining a complex history through the region’s distinctive foods. Shilpa Raj (The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter) will explore life as one of India’s untouchables, in a caste system older than apartheid.
UWC’s own Diana Ferrus will explore the power of poetry to change the world.
There are also musical sessions, poetry sessions, panels on politics, and literature, and more.
The Madibaland World Literary Festival runs from November 20 to 28, 2020.
For more information, visit: http://www.richmondnc.co.za/Madibaland-World-Literary-Festival/
Cape Times