The English Department at Rhodes hosted READSA on a significant visit to Grahamstown on Friday and Saturday – it was the first of its kind for the organization established by South African writers earlier this year.
Funded by the Film and Publications Board for this particular outreach, READSA chose Grahamstown as a pilot site for their “road show” , one of the ways in which they are attempting to get people reading and exposing them to South African literature.
The group feels that people will be more inclined to read if the books and writers are known to them, deal with relevant topics and are readily available. For this reason, copies of the books by the nine authors involved were donated to the Hill Street Library, Duna Library, Fingo Library and the Mary Waters school library.
On Friday, the writers spoke to young people who had gathered at Mary Waters High School and the Duna Library in Joza respectively, and gave them some insight into what is involved in being a writer, as well as the background to their own writing and why it is important to read. “You cannot be a writer if you don’t read – that’s what stimulates the imagination,” stressed Zukiswa Wanner, live-wire leader of the group and founder of READSA.
Fiona Snyckers, who graduated from Rhodes in 1991 with an Honours degree in English, pointed out that Trinity, the heroine from her trilogy about a young girl of mixed race who attends Rhodes University, could be anyone of those present at the talk, and was therefore easy to relate to. She also emphasized that good literacy and communication skills are essential regardless of what career you choose.
Ndumiso Ngcobo, popular columnist for the Sunday Times and writer of the satirical collections Some of My Best Friends are White and Is it Coz I’m Black? told of how he grew up in a remote rural area in KZN and read prolifically because there wasn’t much else to do. His uncle bombarded him with works by Tolstoy in order to wean him off James Hadley Chase, which meant that when he had the opportunity to visit Moscow at the age of 21, he felt familiar with the environment. He said this by way of illustrating that books can open up the world to you, even if you are physically unable to travel.
During the Duna Library event, the writers challenged the small group of pupils present to form a book club and all read a selection of the books written by them, so that they could discuss and debate the books. It was suggested that they start with When a Man is Not a Man, a thought-provoking novel by Thando Mgqolozana about circumcision and the coming-of-age process for young Xhosa men.
Seven writers were present for the event at the Hill Street Library, which was attended by about 40 members of the public. They read extracts from their books, spoke about their aims as an organization and signed copies on request. Siphiwo Mahala, who hails from Grahamstown, read from the isiXhosa translation of his book When a Man Cries and Sarah Britten, author of three editions of South African Insults, pointed to the importance of linking literacy to the hugely popular social media.
READSA currently has a membership of 75 South African writers and although they are not funded by the Government at present, the organization hopes to raise funds to visit each of the provinces with their road show next year, each time constituting the group with different writers. Their aim is to visit Grahamstown again at the same time next year and receive feedback on progress with their agenda, especially amongst the young people of the town. The English Department and other interested partners and stakeholders will assist them in supporting and promoting this initiative.