TIISETSO M. THIBA ON THE NORTHERN CAPE WRITERS' FESTIVAL

Report by Tiisetso Thiba

The Department of Sports Arts and Culture in Northern Cape hosted a three days of 5^th Annual Writers Festival in the heart of its capital city Kimberley, just in front of the Kimberley Public library. It was an event to reminisce and has features poets, writers and authors from various spheres of South Africa.

The festival kick started on the 6^th to 8^th of March 2014.  On the first day of the Writers fest writers/poets and authors from different provinces of South Africa were invited to share the words of wisdom, love, and encouragement on the stage and activities included in the festival programme such as School visits, Round table discussions.

Various literature topics were discussed during the round table discussion and point of instigating writers to write and promote their mother tongues and ideals to take the literature industry to another level around Northern CapeProvince and South Africa as whole.

Pupils and teachers in schools around Kimberly were surprised when they visited by the prolific writers, and the purpose was to emboldenpupil from the young age to love reading and writing and which will make it possible for them to write their own books in the future if the love of writing is alive and because the future of literature is in their hands and the culture of reading can be taken to another level of improvement.

Poet / Writer SabataMokae coordinated the three day programme of fest writers. Among the writers/poets present at the Festival was Napo Masheane, Dr James Matthews, Professor Peter Horn, Kabelo Duncan Kgatea, Tina Schouw, MarupingPhepheng, TueloGabonewe, Jahrose, Serame‘Icebound’, Sheila Khala, SizaNkosi and GontsewaChaane just to name the few. Publisher from Geko Publishing PhehelloMofokengwere also present and shared a few tips and advice to the emerging writers of how to publish their manuscripts.

Primrose Mrwebi and NelisaLunika from National Library of South Africa ‘Centre For The Books’ in Cape Town played a vital role as well during the 5^th Annual  Northern Cape Writers Festival. Writers around Kimberley were granted the opportunity to launch their new brand books and encourage those who have ideas to put them on them book and share their stories with the world.

Local Poets embraced the open mic session to recite their greatest work in the high calibre stage and that has excited them because they shared the stage with their role models and interact with them in person. And the experience alone instigated them to write more and more.