Writers luxuriate at Grahamstown

By Flaxman Qoopane

Professor Ncedile Saule,Nonkqubela Evelyn Rasmeni, Mzukisi M , Silandela, Pumelelo P, Anthony, Hendrietta Bogopane –Zulu Deputy Minister for Women, Children Persons with Disabilityand Siphiwo Mahala were among the writers and who launched their novels and books at the Wordfest in the Eastern Cape during the Grahamstown National Arts Festival recently.

Professor, Ncedile Saule from the Department of African Languages at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria launched his novel Inkululeko Ese Ntabeni, (Freedom Is Not Easy) Professor Saule said “This is a novel that won the M-Net Book Prize competition in the IsiNguni category.It is a strange melting pot of love, culture, politics and religion. It is being given within a contemporary milieu of homeland, Apartheid politics, translating themselves into the policy of present South Africa.

“The main character is the cadre of an underground liberation struggle politics. His best friend is devout supporter of the homeland politics. The bone of contention is about their interest on a woman who happens to be a daughter of a black politician who was hanged sometime in Pretoria for his political activities

“In the process of their fight, the cadre end up in Robben Island, the homeland political supporter ends getting a high post in the homeland( he was an informer). When the new dispensations unfold the exiled, former political prisoners were released including that cadre after 15 years. He had a full revenge against the friend who made him to be detained.

“ I never thought I could still win a prize of R50.000, although when I write. I write to win, not necessarily prizes, but the hearts and minds of the people.”

Nonkqubela Rasmeni from King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape launched her novel Bubomi Ke Obo (Such is life) She started to write her novel in 2009 and completed it in 2011 and it was published in 2012.

Rasmeni said “The novel is published in isiXhosa, it is about abuse, what I try to raise is the fact that anyone who plan to get married to somebody must know the background of the person and the values of that person The novel is also about how important is our home, that wherever you go there is no place like home, you were placed in a home for a reason.

“In the novel I deal with a chapter about children, when you train a child, train him or her in such a way that the child must survive anywhere. If you train your child, train him or her in such that he/she can be independent”

Mzukisi M, Silandela from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape launched his book – Ulutsha Nentolongo Siya Kuphelela Phi Na ? (Youth and Prison , Where Are We Going to End) Silandela said “I started to write the book in 2002 and completed it in 2004 and it was published in 2012. The book is about the realities of prison life, sodomy, re offending, role of parents in prisons, the cruelties of some Correctional Officers, the high rate of offenders dying in prisons, prison can change a good guy into a bad one. The message in my book is that the youth must refrain, from committing crime because prison has a potential to make offenders hardened criminals.

Silandela was arrested for culpable homicide in December 1997. He added that ,“We were at the party at Amalinda suburb in East London .We were drunk and a fight broke up , we stabbed each other with another guy, he later died at the hospital, I was arrested and sentenced to ten years imprisonment, I served only seven years at the East London Correctional Centre

Pumelelo P, Antony from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape launched his novel Yiyiphi kengoku Ke ? (What is this now?) Antony said “ I started to write my novel in 2005 and published it in 2012, the novel is about bringing up a boy child will especially about his partenity, mothers should not lie to their sons about who their fathers are, I am excited, I am on top of the world that my novel of seven years was finally published.” The Deputy-Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities together with other five people with visual impairment launched their book Lifelines at the Annual Wordfest Eastern Cape as part of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

The Deputy –Minister Hendrietta Bogopane Zulu said; “I am delighted that we launched the book Lifelines during the Wordfest Eastern Cape. As we launched the book Lifelines, let protect the disabled people and let us treat the daily like every human being. I would like to congratulate the people who contributed their stories of people with congenital blindness. The stories are Reaching my Dreams, by Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, Look us in the eyes, hear our cries, by Malathisi Majija.

The Sky is the Limiit, by Vincent Daniels, Chorus for Change, by Michael Kula and Following my in-sight, by Balise Gloria Makhasi. Our Department partnered with the Human Rights Media Centre (H,R,M,C) to published the book.

“In the country we have 476000 disabled children that their parents hide them in their bedroom. Nobody choose to be disabled, we want our communities to recognise the rights of the disabled people. Every single day I thank God to be a disabled South African. I can express my views, I am a human being, I have my dignity and human rights”

She writes in her story, Reaching my dreams that; “I still think there is more that can be done to improve the life of people living with disabilities. Even though I am in government, I still believe we can do better. I think the struggles of disabled people will be with us for a little longer, not because there are not resources, but to change attitudes and modify people’s behaviour is difficult”

Other two books that the Deputy-Minister launched are Looking Inside and Then Light Went Black tells the life stories of people living with blindness or partial sightedness. Nomonde Ngcizelal said; “To be a story writer gave me healing. People discriminate us so much, my message is to our fellow South Africans is do not discriminate us, we are people like you. I had a relationship with a man who stayed in my community in Gugulethu Cape Town, I thought he loved me and I realised that he loved my disability grant. He will come to me only at night when I had received my grant and he will demand money from me so that he could fix his car. Since I realised that he did not love me but love my money I ended the relationship”.

The Community Publishing Programme within the Centre for the Book from Cape Town launched six new books at the Red Lecture Theatre Rhodes University on 3 July at 11. 00am

The six books that were launched include Why Despair by Zolekile Pafa, Ngcamla by Busisiwe Bhantshi, Yiyiphi Ke Ngoku Le? By Pumelelo Anthony, Wavulek Umkhusane by Nompumelelo Magwane Mvandaba, Feeding The Beast by Sonwabile Mfecane.

Introductory remarks was present by Mandla Mona, Reprint of SA, Classics coordinator ,message of support was present by an author Siphiwo Mahala from the National Department of Arts and Culture. In 2008 he launched his first novel When a Man Cries. The first time I personally met Siphiwo Mahala was during Macufe Wordfest in Bloemfontein in October 2011. He attended the Macufe Wordfest together with another writer Thando Mgqolozana .The official handing over of the six new books which were launched by the six writers Pafa, Bantshi, Anthony , Mvandaba, George and Mfecane was presented by Mandla Matyumza, the Executive Head Centre For The Book

Whilst attending the book launch of the six books at the Red Lecture Theatre, Petro Schonfeld from the National English Literary Museum (NELM) In Grahamatown came to meet me, she later took me to the NELM, I was excited to visit the NELM for the first time. During my visit at the NELM, Petro Schonfeld introduced to Crystal Warren, the researcher. Crystal Warren showed me files with information about my literary documents, and also the files of another friend of mine who is also a writer O Bolaji . And she told me that the information in the files would enable researchers to research about me and Bolaji as a writers.

Petro Schonfeld also introduced me to Beverly Thomas- Director, Debbie Landman- Head Librarian, Marike Beyers- Librarian, and I had an opportunity to sign my autograph on six of my books available at the NELM. When it was time to go, to the NELM Oficials invited me to attend the launch of the new book –African Delights by Siphiwo Mahala at the old offices of the NELM in Grahamstown on 3 July at 18:00 to 18:30. Many writers, journalists, officials from the NELM attended the launch of the new book- African Delights by Siphiwo Mahala

Supplementary  (also by Qoopane)...

The Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (D.S.A.C.R) in Bloemfontein Free State, South Africa, made it possible for me and other twenty one language practitioners to attend the 10 Annual Wordfest Eastern Cape during the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown from 30 June to 4 July 2012.

The Head of Language Services within the D.S.A.C.R, an author, playwright, scholar and literary critic Mathene Mahanke was the leader of the language practitioners.

The Wordfest Eastern Cape was also attended by many delegates including the Deputy-Minister of Women, Children, and People with Disabilities Henrietta Bogopane-Zulu, National Department of Arts and Culture, novelist Siphiwo Mahala, Eastern Cape MEC for Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Xoliswa Tom.

Eastern Cape MEC for Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Xoliswa Tom said “ I am excited when I attend the Wordfest Eastern Cape because I meet different authors, praise – singers (imbongis) storytellers, playwrights and short- story writers who are creative, who are not afraid to share what they feel.

“The participation is growing, we love to attend the Wordfest Eastern Cape we encourage our writes write books in our languages and also encourage our community to read what our writers write.Remember without our writers, our people wont be able to read books.

“The Department of Sports ,Arts ,Culture and Recreation in the Free State heard about the Wordfest Eastern Cape in 2008. Since July 2008. they have started their own Macufe Wordfest 2008 in Bloemfontein, and they have been attending our events since 2008, and we congratulate them for being our partners in this Wordfest.”

Prof Chris Zithulele Mann, Honorable Professor of Poetry at Rhodes University in Grahamstown , Director, Centre For The Book, Mandla Matyumza, Community Publishing Programme coordinator at the Centre For the Book, Nelisa Lunika from Cape Town, Prof. Ncedile Saule, Department of African Languages UNISA in Pretoria, Mandla Mona - Reprint of Classics Project-Project coordinator also attended the Wordfest

The Wordfest Eastern Cape was also attended by many aspiring and renowned praise singers (imbongis) and many published authors. Most of these praise-singers and published authors came mostly from the Eastern Cape and few from my province the Free State.

Chris Zithulele Mann, also the convener of Wordfest Eastern Cape during an interview with me said; “Wordfest Eastern Cape was founded in 2000 with a grant from the National Arts Council, after support from Pro. Bench Mkhonto from the Vista University in Port Elizabeth. I am a writer, I realized a need to push literature in front of people in a festival like a jazz music. Pro. Mkhonto had started a number of writers clubs in the Eastern Cape. We met, read each others work. He encouraged me to start a festival of literature at Rhodes University.

“I then did research and found that in developing countries over 500 literary festivals have been started in the last 20 years, in countries which has a lot of computers, libraries and television. This encouraged me to continue, Wordfest Eastern Cape is an outreach project of Rhodes University to encourage a culture of reading and writing in South Africa”

Prof. Ncedile Saule ,Department of African Languages at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, Gauteng said “ Wordfest Eastern Cape is an awareness campaign to go back to our roots in terms of creative arts and our literature, it is refreshing, it is enriching and it afford a person to think laterally, it also toughes a delegates string with regard to legitimate concerns about our languages. Iam a literary person, I am aware if literature dies, our languages dies, and we can’t afford that to happen”

Mathene Mahanke said “In 2005, I was invited to address Wordfest Eastern Cape, It made an impression, I could see language practitioners under one room and the Eastern Cape government played a major role in terms of transport, accommodation and catering.

“I joined the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation in the Free State, as Head of Sesotho Literature Museum (Dingolweng ) in Bloemfontein,.Wordfest was one of the idea I introduced to the department, it came to fruition in 2008 , when the then Director Danny Moleko supported our request to attend the Wordfest Eastern Cape on the fact finding mission.

According to Mahanke, a team of seven officials visited the Grahamstown National Art Festival in July 2008 and witnessed the presentation of the Wordfert Eastern Cape, and subsequently ran the first Macufe Wordfert in October 2008, a total of 150 language practitioners from all over the Free State were transported, accommodated and catered for. Prominent language specialist addressed the Macufe Wordfest 2008, budding authors and poets read their works which were later prepared for a collection of poetry Mokolokotwane 2008. The book was launched by the MEC of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Honorable Dan Kgothule in Kroonstad in April 2011.

Mahanke added that,“Because the Wordfest Eastern Cape had been running for a number of years, it became imperative to keep close contact with them and thereby attending their annual editions of Wordfest.”

Among those who launched their books again in Grahamstown were Nthabiseng Jah Rose Jafta, Rita Chihawa, and Lebo Leisa who basked as they introduced Free State of Mind to a larger audience.