Why we read: SA Book Fest 2018

Imagine a place where as an avid reader you can go to, to engage with everything literature. A place that lets you into the book publishing industry, an opportunity to engage with your favourite writers/authors/poets and all-round avid readers. This is exactly how being at the South Africa Book Fair felt like.

How you imagine a child to behave when they enter a toy store, is how I am when surrounded with books - or when attending soul fulfilling events like the South Africa Book Fair. Newtown has to be one my favourite places where my heart is able to leap in endless bounds of excitement.

I went to the fair on Saturday and started my day by attending a panel discussion around Literature: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow where they tackled the question: Has there been a change in South African literature over the decades? The panel was made out of four rockster ladies: Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele, Karabo Kgoleng & Pamela Power and facilitated by Jennifer Platt.

One of the key points raised was around the state of literature and the arts in our country and how long it has been seen as a hobby. Dr Alma also pointed out the importance of having an Arts minister who will invest in the arts and ensure that things like tax on books are done away with, to make books affordable and accessible.

From there I attended Keorapetse Kgosietsile's legacy tribute where they talked about Bra Willie, his contribution to literature in SA and the power of poetry and it's ability to heal. The session opened with a tribute poem to Keorapetse Kgositsile, written and performed by Mutle Mothibe. The panelists included: Lebo Mashile, Diana Ferrus, Mutle Mothibe and Makhosazana Xaba as the facilitator.

I also went to Feminism: a global conversation discussion and I found it enlightening how some panel members were forthcoming in acknowledging their own toxicity when reflecting on their own feminism. I believe it's so important to always evaluate our own feminism so that we can spot when we are being the problematic ones and need to take a step back. My new ministry is reminding cisgender womxn to stop being the gatekeepers of womanhood.

To end the beautiful day, I wrapped it up with some poetry. Luckily the show was free, because at this point I really wouldn't afford it as I had went and bought: Xabiso Vili's "Laughing in my father's voice", Katlego Shoro's Serurubele, Jowhor's Ile's And after many days and Wild Embers- a poetry collection from Nikita Gill. Of course this spending wasn't part of the day's budget. I actually was planning to buy Xabiso's poetry book only. But I keep learning that I cant trust my own judgement when it comes to books.

Last highlight for the day (even though I didn't take pictures) was the fact that I met/engaged/spoke to some of my Twitter followers- Phathu Musitha from Literary Alliance Book Club, Omphile from Bookamoso book club, and the very Dr Cele, one half of the Cheecky Natives. I find this every cool when it happens, especially when they turn out to be nice people.