Department of Sports,Arts and Culture(HOD)Ms Ruth Palm-10th Northern Cape Writer's Festival
Channel: Nkanyezi Visuals
Date: 2018-10-18

Celebrating a Decade of the Northern Cape Writers' Festival : October 2018

The Northern Cape Writers' Festival was initiated as part of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture's broad mandate of developing local content for our growing number of Libraries and also improving the culture of reading and writing among the people of the Northern Cape Province.

Most importantly, it was initiated as a platform to develop and nurture local writers and poets who previously lacked the means to access the publishing world. Through this initiative local writers and poets have been able to access numerous opportunities over the last 10 years.

As we mark a full decade since the first Writers' Festival was launched, we take time out to pay tribute to the many men and women who have formed part of this great initiative. Some were administrators, some accomplished writers and poets, some were aspirant writers who have now become well-known and published writers.

There is no doubt that all of the people mentioned above have come and have made their mark in ensuring that this Festival made it up to now. We thank each and every one of them for their ideas and their inputs in shaping this Festival.

It is through their commitment that we have seen close to 50 books, novels and poetry anthologies published and finding their way into our Libraries.

Over the years we have also worked with institutions like the Centre for the Book and other publishers and NGOs/NPOs who have played a pivotal role in the development of literature and a culture of reading and writing in the province. We pay tribute to all of these key partners and role players.

The last few years of the Festival have been even more exciting as we entered into a very strategic relationship with the Sol Plaatje University that was intended to further consolidate the gains we made in 2008.

Through this partnership, we have been able to extend our network to other parts of the world. Furthermore, we successfully launched the first-ever summer school for writing that is intended to further empower local writers and poets through an intensive program that gives them the tools to further understand and appreciate the dynamics of this profession that they have chosen.

We are confident that this partnership will sustain our gains for the next 10 years and beyond.

Pula!

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