Following a two-year hiatus, the 2022 edition of the ever-inspiring, thought-provoking Open Book Festival took place this past weekend from 2 to 4 September.
Housed in the new home of the festival is the HCC Homecoming centre, which is a two-minute walk from the District Six Museum, however, the three-day Open Book Festival hosts different authors who are able to debate with audiences on a variety of different themes and topics and embark on brave and important conversations.
What went down:
After every session, festival goers were allowed to browse through books stalls or purchase books from enthused authors eager to sign and if you were lucky enough, they would happily pose for selfies with you too.
Session that stood out: Enabling the future
Authors Pumla Dineo Gqola, Lucas Ledwaba, Malcolm Ray and Songezo Zibi spoke to Carol Paton about potential solutions to some of the country’s biggest challenges such as issues on land, the economy, the standards of patriarchy in the country and the importance of governance.
“We looked at books that were published this year when we started to draw up our speakers lists. At the same time, we also considered the events playing themselves out around us and this helped in identifying themes around which we built our discussions and sessions,” said Mervyn Sloman, Festival Director.
Story telling for kids:
Meanwhile author Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni, of Wanda and Wanda the Brave, cheered children to a reading session that aimed to empower children with the skills of reading but more importantly to instill the power of owning their voices through stories.
Poetry:
The Red Wheelbarrow Poetry South Africa’s open mic poetry honoured the expressive art in poetry, through provocative readings, which the audience loved and clapped for as some of the poets took off stage.
Furthermore, the aim for the festival was to provide people with a safe space where challenging but meaningful conversations can take place and to make those conversations accessible to everyone.
“People were clearly yearning for the chance to engage and interact with one another and to do so in person,” added Mervyn.