The Time of the Writer festival was recently held at Natal University. South African author Farida Karodia was there
Monday In the afternoon Nigeria’s Nobel winner Wole Soyinka, British author Barbara Trapido, Zimbabwean Yvonne Vera and Breyten Breytenbach, there since Sunday, drift into the lounge. Some of the writers on the programme have not turned up. At the openin g Pieter-Dirk Uys performs, then the writers parade. Soyinka picks up on a comment by Uys on the “African renaissance” and, in his speech, deliver s an impassioned plea that Nigeria be included in the African renaissance.
The hall is almost full. Perhaps Uys has drawn the crowds. A performance by the Siwela Sonke Dance Company ends the night.
Tuesday Breakfast at 8am and meeting with chair for the evening panel, “Writing from a Female Space”. Soyinka due to leave this afternoon. School visits all morning. Then a few moments to muse about this evening’s topic. Trapido, Vera and Afrikaans write r Lettie Viljoen are to read from their work. Abdourahman Ali Waberi from Djibouti, Zakes Mda and I are on the panel.
Some of the questions centre on the phrase “female space”. If it exists – what is it or what could/should it be? How does “female writing” differ from the idea of feminist literature? Writers don’t consciously set out writing from any particular space. W riting flows from the depths of writers’ experiences. The style and content is what they are comfortable with.
Experiences may differ with gender, but writers often do write from both male and female spaces – androgynous. The label “feminist literature” is now obsolete. In the beginning it was necessary when women had to have their voices heard, when their voices were colonised by men.
We’re told that the turn-out was good. (Readings too long, discussion too short. Arrangement of writers on stage was awkward and not conducive to informal discussion.)
Got to get some sleep. Lying awake thinking about “Writing from a Female Space”.
Wednesday Still no time to talk to the Francophone writers. Frustrated by language barriers. We talk about an Anglophone-Francophone divide and a gender gap. Where are the female Francophone writers? Why aren’t they here?
On this evening’s programme, Algerian writer Abdelkader Djemai , Tiemo Monenembo from Guinea and I, are to read from our work. Vera, Breytenbach and Trapido are on the panel. Writing from the Francophone writers is powerful. One of the audience wants to know if exile doesn’t make for an elitist group of writers. This is possible.
Some of the Francophone writers are asked: “Why write in the language of the oppressor?” Are we Anglophones any better? Isn’t English the language of the oppressor too? What about Afrikaans? Obviously no definitive conclusions. Francophone views on exile , about keeping the dream of freedom smouldering in the hearts of their people, reminds us of why we were writing from exile.
Thursday Morning is free. Vera and I abscond to the beach. We talk for hours about writing, writers and the writing process.
The evening’s programme is “Writing from a Post-Colonial Space” with Idris Elmi (Djibouti), Breytenbach, Edouard Glissant from Martinique reading. Djemai, Pius Adesanmi (Nigeria) and KwaZulu-Natal writer Marguerite Poland.
Much of the discussion centres around Nigeria. A member of the audience wants to know who the Francophones are writing for. Are they writing for each other? Seems to be a good observation. The point of the question is missed. The man asking the question is frustrated.
Friday Informal readings at the Natal Society of Arts gallery coffee shop with Trapido. Poland and myself. No microphone. Consternation all around. How will we be heard over the sounds of traffic and the capuccino machine? Someone finds a microphone. The n it’s goodbye.