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PRESS RELEASE
Schreiner: Karoo Writers Festival Cradock, Eastern Cape, July
8-10, 2011
Grahamstown celebrates the arts in South Africa once a year and
now Cradock, another
key Eastern Cape town, has its own festival devoted to the lives
and output of Karoowriters. The countrys newest annual festival,
the Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival, takes place in Cradock from
July 8 to 10.The first outing of the festival, the Spirit of
Schreiner Festival, which celebrated the lifeand work of the noted
late Victorian and Edwardian writer, social commentator andfeminist
Olive Schreiner, took place in Cradock in July 2010. Now the event
has been
broadened to all Karoo or Karoo-born writers and has been
renamed the Schreiner KarooWriters Festival, in honour of Schreiner
and other writers from these vast plains.A comprehensive programme
has been organised for the 2011 event that includes talksand
discussions by such noted South Africans as Cradock-born novelist
Etienne vanHeerden, who will talk about the Camdeboo conection with
his book, 30 Nights in
Amsterdam; Olive Schreiner Prize for prose writer Michael Cawood
Green on his book For The Sake of Silence, Paul Walters and Jeremy
Fogg on the relationship betweenOlive and her husband
Samuel-Cronwright-Schreiner who, when they married in 1894,took his
wifes name - and novelist, poet and singer Toast Coetzer presenting
a Toast tothe Karoo.
Nyameka Goniwe, widow of slain anti-apartheid hero Matthew
Goniwe and now the newmayor of the local municipality, will give a
guided tour of her Lingelihle, while theCradock Four will be
remembered in a talk by Judge Chris Nicholson on his book,Permanent
Removal: Who Killed the Cradock Four.Journalist and playwright Tony
Jackman will present a staged reading, with professionalactors
including Lynita Crofford and John Caviggia, of Bloody England, his
play about
Schreiner and Cecil John Rhodes.Festival founder Darryl Earl
David and his co-author Philippe Menache will discuss their book
101 Country Churches of South Africa, focusing on the Karoo
churches, Chris andJulie Marais will present a Karoo slide show,
Heather Parker Lewis will talk about her
book, Olive Schreiner the Other Side of the Moon, journalist
Sabata Mokae will talk about Schreiners Kimberley, and Chris
Thurman will talk about Guy Butler andCradock.There will also be
the relaunch by Penguin Books of Eve Palmers Plains of Camdebooand
Return to Camdeboo. Poetry will be represented by Chris Mann, who
will read hisKaroo poems, and Almore Cupido will introduce Clinton
du Plessiss poetry.On the Friday theres an optional day trip to
Graaff-Reinet to visit Cranmere Farm (of The Plains of Camdeboo
fame) and into this lovely old Karoo town, lef by Professor
PaulWalters of Rhodes University English Department. The cost of
this day tour is R400including lunch and transport.Also expect
relaxing times by the fireside, a Karoo Kraal market day, a guided
walk toOlive Schreiners remote grave site on Buffelskop,
traditional Karoo kos at the VictoriaManor Hotel, and plenty of
old-fashioned Karoo hospitality.To book for the Schreiner Karoo
Writers Festival, contact Die Tuishuise or Lisa Ker at048 881 1650
or call 082 410 5596, or email [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
