A Feast for Writers and Readers

With a diverse line-up of authors and topics at this year’s edition of the Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) one was again spoilt for choice.

Topics ranged from politics to crime and memoirs to fiction by writers from Africa and beyond the continent.

Choosing from the 106 sessions on offer at this year’s celebration of books and writers at Franschhoek, one of the most beautiful towns on the continent, was no easy task for me.

And dare I say, it was an equally difficult choice to make for those hundreds of book lovers at the annual three-day literary festival that always runs over the third weekend in May, starting on Friday and ending on Sunday.

This year the line-up included renowned South African and international authors.

The FLF’s attractiveness is the platform it creates for discussion and debate with writers and other participants.

All sessions take place in a variety of village venues that include churches and school halls – all within easy walking distance of each other.

The event’s focus may be on storytelling, but there is a fun side too as the programme includes business breakfasts, live performances, writing workshops and the screening of documentaries.

Franschhoek has plenty of excellent eateries offering budget and lavish cuisine, but in the FLF precinct there are pop-up beverage and food stalls, where it is not unusual to bump into and have a chance to natter with authors.

As a strategy to encourage and foster a reading culture among youngsters, the FLF is preceded by a Franschhoek reading festival week.

It is a fun event for pupils to keep them entertained and engaged with events which include storytelling, puppetry, word games, book mascots and other activities that aim to bring books to life.

Authors Margie Orford, Troy Onyango, Barbara Boswell, Arthur Goldstuck, Charmaine Africa, Melinda Ferguson, Justice Malala, Caryn Dolley and Cato Pedder attended.

I attended 13 sessions and admittedly only one was a disappointment, but the others were tops.

Radio presenter Africa Melane’s talk with Olympic track champion Caster Semenya about her heart-wrenching memoir, ‘The Race To Be Myself’, took the audience on an emotional roller coaster ride.

Surely “physically and emotionally torturous” will aptly describe the treatment Semenya has been subjected to by an international sport body, competing athletes and from other quarters.

No human being should ever be subjected to such treatment.

The authors of ‘Coloured: How Classification Become Culture’, Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel, had a captivatingly interesting session with renowned stand-up comedian Marc Lottering.

Dooms is a sociologist, development practitioner and political analyst, and the other young lady, Chutel, is a journalist and writer who reports for the New York Times.

Although the banter between the three so-called coloured people was at times hilarious, it is a sad story in many respects.

The story by Dooms and Chutel about reclaiming coloured identities and cultural legacies from racist stereotyping and ethno-nationalism must be told, but more importantly, it should be heard.

In next week’s column I will share more on the other sessions I was privileged to attend at this year’s FLF.

• Danny Meyer is reachable at danny@smecompete.com