? Broad, deep and lively discussion flows weekly at independent bookshop Boekehuis in Auckland Park. Arrive early on August 13 because the small venue, set in an original old Jo’burg family home, is sure to be packed for a discussion about the works of Johannesburg’s best novelist. This Saturday’s item is a new study, edited by Gerald Gaylard, titled Marginal Spaces: Reading Ivan Vladislavic. Gaylard will be in conversation with contributors Bronwyn Law-Viljoen and Shaun de Waal, and Vladislavic will read from his work. ‘[The book] suggests how literary and cultural production and reading has changed since apartheid.”
Boekehuis, corner of Lothbury and Fawley streets, Auckland Park. On August 13 from 12pm. To RSVP: 011 482 3609.
? The Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre hosts weekly events — some are discussions about spiritual and religious life and others multimedia presentations about Jewish life globally. But this week the presentation is of more general interest: a discussion with political commentator Moeletsi Mbeki. In his recent book, Advocates for Change: How to Overcome Africa’s Challenges, Mbeki brings together experts from across the continent who believe that there are solutions to the challenges Africa faces. Mbeki, deputy chairman of the South African Institute of International Affairs, will be joined by contributor Helen Rees, executive director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre, Clive M Beck Auditorium, Glenhove Road, Houghton. On August 15 at 7.30pm. Door charge is R70. Tel: 011 728 8088 /8378.