Word Fest
Preview
By Benevolence Mazhinji
The cherished literary haven of Word Fest returns to Makhanda this month, ending the four-year silence that had settled following the death of its visionary founder, poet Chris Mann.
The festival was originally conceived in 1999 through the Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA) at Rhodes University. It was forged with the singular mission to be South Africa’s only multilingual festival of languages and literature to sustain a culture of reading and writing.
Over the years, Word Fest attracted some of the brightest names in literature, including four Booker Prize winners. This year’s festival has been curated by Darryl Earl David, who is South Africa’s most seasoned architect of literary gatherings. He has spent decades bringing literary culture to life across the country and he is best known for establishing Richmond in the Northern Cape as a Book Town. He is the founder of many literary projects, including establishing Durban as UNESCO City of Literature and the Books on the Bay festival in Simon’s Town.
Through his curation, Word Fest 2025 will bring together a formidable ensemble of writers, thinkers and storytellers to begin a dialogue about the place of reading in our lives, while also exploring the shifting landscapes of our languages, our identities and imagination. David said, “I am extremely proud of the writers we have assembled for Word Fest 2025. I truly believe that Grahamstown-now-Makhanda has not had such an august group of literati descend on their town since JM Coetzee’s 80th birthday celebrations at Amazwi.”
Award-winning poet, graphic novelist, and translator Nathan Trantraal is one of the writers at Word Fest as well as Ronelda Kamfer, author of Kompoun, recently seen on the National Arts Festival stage, who is also an acclaimed poet. Kamfer has redefined Afrikaans poetry by bringing raw, working-class perspectives into her work. Celebrated playwright, short story writer and academic Siphiwo Mahala will bring his distinctive voice to the gathering to reflect on South Africa’s literary tradition and cultural memory.
The programme also features Jeff Wicks, the investigative journalist whose book The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran Had To Die is drawing national attention for its piercing account of corruption and the price of being a whistle-blower.
Th return of Word Fest to Makhanda is a remarkable testament to the endurance of stories as guardians of vision and culture. Chris Mann’s vision is carried through the voices that will gather at the festival, and through the conversations that will ripple outward long after the festival ends.
Word Fest will take place on Friday 19 September at the ISEA on the Rhodes camopus, and on Saturday 20 September at Amazwi. All sessions are free and open to the public. The annual Amazwi Heritage Day Carnival will run alongside the Saturday programme, with a range of stalls and snacks available for browsing between Word Fest sessions.
