Book Festival brings authors and poets to the Cape FlatsPeople both young and old, came out to the Cape Flats Book Festival at the West End Primary School in Mitchells Plain at the weekend.
by Ground Up
18-10-2022 13:30
in Books
People from across Cape Town attended the two-day Cape Flats Book Festival in Mitchells Plain over the weekend. The event brought together local authors and poets who interacted with audiences. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks
By Ashraf Hendricks on GroundUp
--
Hundreds of people, young and old, came out to the Cape Flats Book Festival at the West End Primary School in Mitchells Plain at the weekend.
The two-day event hosted over 30 sessions with scores of authors, poets and publishers. During the sessions, writers and artists talked to smaller audiences, discussing their craft and answering questions about the industry.
The event is hosted by Read to Rise, a civic organisation that promotes youth literacy in under-resourced communities.
--
ALSO READ: Zari': Children's book about albinism teaches self-love
West End Primary School Principal Clive Arries says the book festival is an act of hope for our community . There were books on sale at bargain prices and entertainment for children included face painting, jumping castles and a puppet show.
We believe that readers become leaders, said Clive Arries, Principal of West End Primary School. West End is one of two Western Cape schools recently shortlisted in the top ten of an international competition to determine the world's best schools in the category of overcoming adversity'.
--
He said that the festival is an act of hope for our community . Arries said that it gives learners an opportunity to dream beyond their circumstances .
ALSO READ: BOOK QUIZ: WIN one of three R500 Exclusive Books vouchers
Yusuf Daniels shares advice on writing. The festival, first launched in 2019, featured authors including Shana Fife, Melinda Ferguson, Yusuf Daniels and musician Blaqpearl.
During a session with Yusuf Daniels and Rodney Brown, they discussed some of the challenges and the importance of marketing. Daniels said that the average South African author sells about 500 books in their lifetime. He said that most writers are introverted, but that you have to put yourself out there and use social media to market yourself. I dala what I must he said, and suggested that other authors do the same.
ALSO READ: Summer Special package: Book your conference now at Gallagher
Roscoe Williams and his brother Athol Williams started the book festival in 2019 in a bid to give our people in the community the opportunity to listen to these top authors, he said. One of the organisers, Roscoe Williams, told GroundUp that as a family they often went to book festivals and realised that these festivals were not accessible to everyone.
Williams and his brother Athol Williams made the decision to bring a book festival to the Cape Flats. He said that the literacy rate in poor communities is shocking and that we need to expose our communities to events like this .
Williams said that one of their goals is to give our people in the community the opportunity to listen to these top authors . Williams, who grew up in Mitchells Plain, said this is our way of giving back . He hopes this will become an annual event and in the future host more local artists and writers.
ALSO READ: Robert Marawa shares release of his book GqimmShelele'
Sara-Jayne Makwala King in discussion with Melinda Ferguson, author of bestseller Smacked' and newly released Bamboozled'. During one of the sessions, Sara-Jayne Makwala King spoke to authors Melinda Ferguson and Shana Fife. Ferguson, who writes about her experiences with drug addiction, said that while she was writing her first book Smacked she thought it was the worst piece of shit that was ever written and was surprised when it became a bestseller.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Is this the MOST watched video on Facebook?
Poet Haroldene Tshienda had some of her books on display during the festival. Poet Haroldene Tshienda said the event was an opportunity for artists and writers to mingle, collaborate and share their stories. Tshienda has published seven books. She has established a collective called Poets Vannie Kaap who meet once a month to recite poems and share their stories. They have now compiled a book called Lekker Poems.
Learners from West End enjoyed life sized teddy bears, jumping castles and face painting at the event. This article was first published on GroundUp
DONT MISS OUT: Bonhams' Modern & Contemporary African Art Auction. CLICK HERE!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Book Festival brings authors and poets to the Cape FlatsPeople both young and old, came out to the Cape Flats Book Festival at the West End Primary School in Mitchells Plain at the weekend.
