After an absence of two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Open Book Festival returns with an exciting two-day, in-person event!

Press release:

The festival will take place on 26 and 27 March 2022 at Bertha House in Mowbray, Cape Town.

• Tickets cost R50 per session.

Event Passes are also available:

• Get 5 tickets for the price of 4 for R200
• Get 10 tickets for the price of eight: R400

See the programme here

• Bookings can be made at Webtickets

Seating will be strictly limited due to Covid-19 protocols and the capacity of the venue, so early booking is more important than ever.

Open Book Festival is one of the most innovative literature festivals in South Africa. It has twice been shortlisted for the London Book Fair Excellence Awards. Nearly 10 000 people attended the most recent annual event, which ran for nine years, up to 2019. During the past two years, Open Book Festival’s podcast series has kept the engaging conversations going, while highlighting some of the incredible books that have been published.

Open Book Festival is committed to creating a space to celebrate South African writers. It strives to instil a love of reading among young attendees, with the programme designed to engage, entertain and inspire conversations among festival-goers long after the event.

‘Our digital engagements have provided a good platform to talk about the compelling books South African authors have continued to write, but nothing can beat the experience of an in-person event,’ says Open Book Festival Organiser Vasti Calitz.

‘We are delighted to be hosting our first live, post-pandemic festival. With the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had on the creative sector, we have decided to present an all-South African line up for this event.

‘Although the March edition is a miniature version of our usual festival, audiences will be able to enjoy everything they have come to expect from the Open Book Festival experience – engaging, entertaining discussions followed by great conversations long after the session in the venue’s on-site café.

‘In other good news, look out for our events throughout the year, including another festival in September. There’s a lot to look forward to and we expect the year to be a thrilling one,’ Calitz says.

Authors, activists, journalists, academics and poets come together to debate topics that shape and inform us. Festival-goers can look forward to discussions ranging from loss, land and city landscapes to courage, capitalism and the power of memory.

Participants at the 2022 Open Book Festival include: Sindiswa Busuku, Azille Coetzee, CA Davids, Finuala Dowling, Andries du Toit, Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika, Shana Fife, vangile gantsho, Pumla Dineo Gqola, Tapiwa Guzha, Robert Hamblin, Imran Hamdulay, Ingrid Jones, Joanne Joseph, Faye Kabali-Kagwa, Sara-Jayne Makwala King, Bongani Kona, Kelly-Eve Koopman, Aoife Lennon-Ritchie, Alistair Mackay, Jessica Mbangeni, Bridget McNulty, Thenjiwe Mswane, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Sue Nyathi, Julie Nxadi, Edgar Pieterse, Mpho Raboeane, Katlego Ramantsima, Nancy Richards, Quaz Roodt, Keely Shinners, Kelly Smith, Toni Giselle Stuart, Sarah Summers, Jen Thorpe, Hedley Twidle and Joy Watson.

Ends

 

Categories Fiction Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Alistair Mackay Andries du Toit Aoife Lennon-Ritchie Azille Coetzee Bongani Kona Book events Bridget McNulty CA Davids Cape Town Edgar Pieterse Faye Kabali-Kagwa Finuala Dowling Hedley Twidle Imran Hamdulay Ingrid Jones Jen Thorpe Jessica Mbangeni Joanne Joseph Joy Watson Julie Nxadi Katlego Ramantsima Keely Shinners Kelly Smith Kelly-Eve Koopman Mpho Raboeane Nancy Richards Open Book Festival Pumla Dineo Gqola Quaz Roodt Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika Robert Hamblin Sara-Jayne Makwala King Sarah Summers Shana Fife Sindiswa Busuku Sue Nyathi Tapiwa Guzha Tembeka Ngcukaitobi Thenjiwe Mswane Toni Giselle Stuart Vangile Gantsho