Woordfees may seem to be primarily an Afrikaans arts and literary festival, but it started off as a celebration of words, and does include several English talks about works in various languages. Taking place from March 2 to 11 around Stellenbosch, Woordfees celebrates its 19th birthday as Stellenbosch University marks its centenary.
While there are a few free talks, most will charge a fee. THERESA SMITH takes a look at some of the English talks.
* Marianne Thamm sits down in conversation with Women of Steel: Thuli Madonsela and Glynnis Breytenbach on March 2 at 10.30am at the ATKV Book Tent. With Madonsela’s memoir in the pipeline and Breytenbach’s Rule of Law on the shelf, they will discuss their formative influences and fighting the odds still facing women today.
* Daily Maverick’s Pauli van Wyk interviews Jacques Pauw about his explosive best-seller The President’s Keepers on March 3 at 10.30am in the Kruiskerk on Ryneveld Street.
* Best-selling authors South African Deon Meyer and Dutch Ray Kluun talk to Kirby van der Merwe in Deon en Kluun: Rock-sterre in die Skrywerswereld on March 3 at 12noon at the ATKV Book Tent.
* Max du Preez leads a discussion about Ray Hartley’s Ramaphosa – Behind the Enigma, with Cape Talk’s Koketso Sachana and former Sky News anchorman Jeremy Thompson as well as Hartley as they discuss whether our new president has what it takes to turn South Africa around. March 5 at 9am at the ATKV Book Tent.
* Martie Meiring Meets Achmat Dangor on March 5 at 2pm at the HB Thom seminar room to discuss growing up in the days of apartheid, the role of women in his family (Dangor’s sister is Jessie Duarte) and his latest novel Dikeledi – the story of a young girl born in Harlem.
* Frans Rautenbach talks to former University of the Free State rector Jonathan Jansen about his perspective on what started the student protests of 2015/6 as he wrote about in his book As By Fire. March 5 at 3.30pm at the ATKV Book Tent.
* Illustrator Piet Grobler has curated a travelling exhibition of postcards, Migrations, created by more than 300 illustrators from around the world. The exhibition has just returned from Bratislava in Slovakia and from Woordfees will go to Japan, England, then Italy for a children’s book festival in 2019. The exhibition opens on May 5 at 6pm when Grobler talks to two local contributors, Paddy Bouma and Dale Blankenaar, plus Roger Mello from Brazil in the Tutorial room of the Visual Arts building. The exhibition remaisn in the foyer of the Visual Arts building for the remainder of Woordfees.
* On March 5 several of the InZync poets who contributed new poetry anthology Converse will compare their translations between Afrikaans, Xhosa, English and Tswana on March 5 at 8.30pm at the Drostdy Theatre to launch the new book.
* Karina Szczurek talks to Rehana Rossouw about her book New Times – But No Mandela, a gritty novel that follows a political reporter starting a new job at a weekly newspaper in Cape Town on March 6 at 9.30am at the HB Thom seminar room.
* Judge Edwin Cameron talks to human-rights lawyer George Bizos about their 65 Years of Friendship on March 7 at 10.30am at the ATKV Book Tent.
* Three writers – Fred Khumalo, Alexandra Fuller and Achmat Dangor – talk about Whose History is it Anyway? as they discuss how important it is to keep telling accurate and unembellished stories about the past, even if it is offensive or hurtful. March 7 at 2pm at the HB Thom seminar room.
* Adriaan Basson talks to Redi Tlhabi about her book Khwezi, asking what price Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo paid as the woman who dared to accuse Jacob Zuma of rape. March 9 at 2pm at the HB Thom seminar room.
* Human Rights lawyer Frans Rautenbach talks to Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron about picking the right time to talk against the tide, how to choose when to do so and how to know whether your truth is the truth in Frans Rautenbach: South Africa Can Work on March 9 at 9am at the ATKV Book Tent.
* Thuli and Tim at Guardian Peak: Listen to advocate Thuli Madonsela in conversation with Tim du Plessis as you sample a three-course meal prepared by the Rust en Vrede Chef on March 10 at 12.30pm at the Guardian Peak Winery and Restaurant.
What: Woordfees 2018
When: March 2 to 11, 2018
Where: Stellenbosch, Cape, South Arica
For the full programme: www.woordfees.co.za
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