Books are at the heart of the Open Book Festival, but anyone heading to this year's edition can expect the conversations to stretch well beyond the pages.
Returning to Cape Town in September, the festival will bring together established literary names, emerging writers, poets, performers and comedians for a programme exploring African stories, identity, history, humour and some of the more complicated conversations shaping our lives.
Open Book began in 2011 as an annual book festival in Cape Town, with a vision that has remained largely unchanged despite the format evolving over the years.
Its stated goals include showcasing the best of South African writing, encouraging a love of reading among Cape Town's youth and creating representative audiences for its events.
That focus on community is also reflected in the festival's wider work. Open Book now runs three major engagements across the year, including Youth Fest and Workshop Week, alongside the September festival.
Youth Fest takes storytelling, poetry and reading activities into schools and library spaces in underfunded communities, while Workshop Week gives emerging and established creatives opportunities to develop their skills.
This year's festival brings together newer voices including Lulama Mali, Kirsten Deane, Jean-Paul Willemse and Preven Reddy, alongside established names such as Pumla Dineo Gqola, Siphokazi Jonas, Maneo Mohale, Athambile Masola and Mohale Mashigo.
The programme moves between genres and generations, with conversations exploring African identity and the diaspora, humour, romance, Afrophobia and difficult histories.
In "African Identity | From the Continent to the Diaspora", Lọlá Ákínmádé, Krystle Zara Appiah and Vashna Jagarnath speak to Bongani Kona about writing that reflects the complexities of African life in the global north.
There is also room for a laugh. Multi-award-winning comedians Yaaseen Barnes and Dan Corder return with "What The Heck?", their take on another mad year in South Africa and, as the festival puts it, the year is not even nearly done.
Food gets its own moment too, with home cook-turned-author Onezwa Mbola appearing alongside Karen Dudley, Fehmz and Jane Nshuti. Poetry performances, readings, book signings and a Marketplace featuring local vendors will round out the festival.
For Siphokazi Jonas, who has been part of Open Book for a decade, the festival has become “a home” for her work and one of the highlights of her year.
Open Book Festival takes place from 4 to 6 September at the HCC: Homecoming Centre and The Book Lounge. Tickets are available through Webtickets, with the main festival events typically priced at R50.
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