I used to think it was okay that the Franschhoek Literary Festival was lily-white because the money it raised was used to fund libraries in disadvantaged communities. “Who cares where the money comes from as long as it goes to a good cause,” was my reasoning. I equated the literary festival with those charity gala […]
Zakes Mda
Posted inGeneral
Five SA books that should have won literary awards
In 2011 the literary awards season gave rise to hopes that the establishment was finally starting to recognise some of our younger and more innovative writers. Cynthia Jele’s Happiness is a 4-Letter Word and Sifiso Mzobe’s Young Blood both enjoyed outstanding critical success, raking in a bouquet of wins between them. This year the winners […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Self-hating black writers — what gives?
There is a dangerous increase in books written by black authors and so-called intellectuals that give a negative portrayal of life under freedom and democracy. One can even judge the content of these by their covers because they, inevitably, have vivid and memorable titles that assault the integrity of the first legitimate and elected black […]