All-woman team to lead 28th Time of the Writer Festival

An all-woman curatorial team will head up the 28th annual Time of the Writer festival presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) between March 18 to 23 next year.

The theme is Imagination, Freedom and Accountability.

Headlining the team is renowned South African author, Shafinaaz Hassim supported by four young graduates appointed under the Centre’s Emerging Arts Manager’s programme. Ms Hassim is a multi-award-winning author and sociologist based in Johannesburg whose books have received international and local acclaim.

In 2014, she was listed by UNESCO as one of the top 39 writers in Africa under the age of 40. Her novels have been commended by the South African Literature Awards, the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences Awards and the University of Johannesburg Prize for Creative Writing.

The Centre’s Emerging Arts Managers, Nomthandazo Shandu and Andisa Mpisi, who participated in an exchange programme at the Bergen International Literature Festival in Norway, will be part of the curatorial team working with Ms Hassim.

Ms Shandu will curate the festival’s outreach programmes. Ms Mpisi will head up the festival’s hospitality programming for invited authors to the festival.

Emerging arts managers Thalente Nlovu will co-curate the festival’s isiZulu programme together with UKZN press director, Dr Phindile Ndlovu. Owethu Dlamini will headline the festival’s communications strategy, said Ismail Mahomed, the Director for the Centre for Creative Arts at UKZN.

“The festival is a site for celebrating how books become testimonies that live beyond their times; and about how writers stimulate our imaginations, inspire our quests for freedom and hold society accountable. We also want the festival to be a site for opportunity, training and leadership”, Mr Mahomed said. “The festival will present between 50 to 70 writers across its live and online programmes.”

The 28th edition of the Time of the Writer festival is funded by UKZN, the National Arts Council and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.