John Kani will give the keynote address at the first-ever Puku Story Festival focusing on children’s books in isiXhosa happening in Grahamstown this weekend.
John Kani will give the keynote address at the first-ever Puku Story Festival focusing on children’s books in isiXhosa happening in Grahamstown this weekend.
The internationally-acclaimed actor and director will set the mood at the launch in Fingo Village on Saturday. Others in the line-up include award-winning writers and storytellers Sindiwe Magona, Mhlobho Jadezweni and Grahamstown’s own Siphiwo Mahala, as well as writers from the Rhodes University MA Creative Writing Course.
The festival will highlight the value of stories in entertainment and education, in response to the acute shortage of engaging and appropriate reading material for children – especially in African languages. Festival organisers see this as a major factor contributing to South Africa’s education crisis.
A host of literacy and education initiatives are involved in the programme. Elinor Sisulu, Chairperson of the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation says: “Through this festival we want to showcase and celebrate the work of storytellers, writers and artists so that children and their parents, teachers and care-givers will know what is available in their language.”
The inaugural Puku Story Festival will take place on 7 and 8 September, kicking off with a carnival hour on Fingo Square from 9.30am. It coincides with International Literacy Day on 8 September and the end of National Book Week 2013.
Download the program at the link below!
