Eastern Cape Literature Festival. Literature
Venue: Olive Schreiner Hall, Monument
Next performance: 28 June 10:00
Preview
By Zoliswa Mdawini
The Eastern Cape Literature Festival will again take centre stage at the 2025 National Arts Festival. With so many years in the game, they boldly moved to do things differently and better this year with a robust line-up of authors, storytellers, and artists. This Literature Festival celebrates the Eastern Cape’s rich literary and cultural heritage.
The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) aims not only to celebrate Eastern Cape storytellers but also to educate and empower them with an informative financial literacy workshop delivered by Metropolitan Life, along with advanced writing masterclasses led by Dr John Kani.
“If you are an artist and want to know more about your field, you want to grow, and break boundaries, those masterclasses are for you,” said Andile Nduna, the communications officer at DSRAC.
The festival will start on Friday, 27 June, at the Olive Schreiner Hall in the Monument and, later on that day, move to Thomas Pringle, where there will be a close and profound dialogue with two living legends in storytelling: Dr John Kani and Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha. The evening will be hosted by media personality Unathi Nkayi, with live music from saxophonist Natz.
The Literature Festival will continue to share wisdom and art experiences, offering something for everyone. This includes Children’s Corner, to foster the culture of reading in children.
“We’ve got stats that are telling us that our kids can’t read or write.” “So Nal’ibali is there to bridge that gap,” said Nduna.
This literature extravaganza also includes book launches, poetry sessions, storytelling events, and panel discussions with well-known authors like Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni-Bikitsha, Nozibele Mayaba, Khaya Dlanga, and Bongeziwe Mabandla to emerging local voices. The program shows the diversity of talent coming out of the province.
The Literature Festival will end on 30 June with the actor’s masterclass at Olive Schreiner Hall in the Monument.
Nduna says that, “there is a discount for students when they produce their student cards.”
