Of Books and Book Festivals 2022

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The District Six Museum in Cape Town was the venue for the successful first launch of the book Racism, Violence, Betrayals and New Imaginaries: Feminist Voices, edited by Nadia Sanger and Benita Moolman.

A unique collection of writing from a feminist perspective on the experiences of race and racism by Black South African women, the book has been described as ‘an honest, often gut-wrenching account of the experiences of Black women in various South African settings.’ 

UKZN Press director, Dr Phindile Dlamini, and customer services officer, Mr Edwin Ramthew, attended the launch, and engaged with authors - both existing and potential - and guests. There was an exclusive opportunity to purchase signed copies of the book and gain deeper insights and behind-the-scenes knowledge.

Meanwhile, a long-held dream of local publishers to have a book fair in Durban came true during the first week of August this year. Working closely with the co-founder and director of the Durban International Book Festival (DIBF), UKZN Press was one of the main partners, with a very well-stocked stand at the Sibaya Casino. From books published in the early 1990s to date, the stand attracted much interest from consumers and current authors to book-sellers, libraries and potential authors. It was a jam-packed programme, with UKZN representatives and Press authors contributing to the well-attended talks.

After a hiatus of three years, due to COVID-19 and national lockdowns, the Midlands Literary Festival finally returned, taking place on 3 and 4 September at Fernhill Hotel. ‘Although this year focused more on self-published authors, we were pleased to have our author and well-known raconteur, Professor Ashwin Desai, on the programme. Festival attendees and other authors couldn’t help but be drawn to the UKZN Press book display and, once again, we got great feedback on the range of titles and quality of the books we publish,’ said Dlamini.

With 2022 only starting to open to in-person book exhibits, book fairs/festivals and conferences, UKZN Press says it looks forward to an excellent year in 2023. ‘We invite you to visit us on the Pietermaritzburg campus to see the range of titles we have published. Alternatively, our website, www.ukznpress.co.za, has a display of our latest and forthcoming titles, and you can browse our electronic catalogue,’ said Dlamini.

Words: Adele Branch

Photographs: Damian Sean Samuels and Supplied