I'd like to congratulate the V & A Waterfront, Hippo Communications and the Gender Commission for putting together what is sure to be an exciting and invigorating event.
This launch tonight takes place at a very significant and reflective time in South Africa. We are celebrating 10 years of democracy, ten years of a miracle that has made our country, South Africa, a beacon of hope. Our country remains the truest example of what mankind can achieve through reconciliation and dialogue. Indeed the role of women in utilising the power of literature, the power of the written word to reflect these achievements and challenges , cannot be denied.
I am pleased to learn that publishers and authors have embraced this new project. It is my belief that we must capture and communicate the significant role played by women in the liberation of our country. While we celebrate this achievement, and the progress South African women writers have made so far, we are even more excited about the possibilites for South African women writers.
Women have written almost every imaginable type of work: novels, poems, letters, biographies, travel books, religious commentaries, histories, economic and scientific works. What we need to do, together is maintain this momentum and unearth more talent. Although this festival is of a celebratory nature, there are still some imbalances that we must address if we are to achieve true unity, through the written word.
While stories by and about the lives of South African women tend to fare better than their counterparts throughout the continent, there still remains a tremendous absence of literature on their lives. One of our greatest icons, author and human rights activists, Helen Khuzwayo, writes:
"I always felt there was this great heroic contribution and achievement by women, but nobody knows about it outside of the country, and maybe even within the country. Because of the structure of society, with women right at the bottom, they did not come out to be seen as the real motivating element in the lives of the people, or the country as a whole."
South african literature is also so much richer for the works of Bessie Head. Her novels show a marked sympathy with ordinary peasant women; her heroines are poor but strong-willed, women who have to face up to various forms of prejudice, prejudice that still manifests itself in our society today.The late author has also written on the effects of British colonialism in South Africa. On the intellectual and educational spheres of africa, Head comments:
"Everything is at a beginning. No colonial power ever intended planning for black majority populations. Libraries, schools, and planning for people was provided after independence. It could be said that a reading tradition was absent in the society. "
Due to the inequality that has characterised our society, this reading tradition is still absent in many parts of our community. Our vision is to make the Western Cape, A HOME FOR ALL. And entailed within that vision, is to make our province, A LEARNING HOME FOR ALL. As part of our commitment to the poor communities, we as government have committed ourselves to electrify schools without power and Move the Usasazo School from Maitland to Khayelitsha. This will add impetus to the creation of a reading tradition as well as create a condusive environment for learners to maximise their potential.
We must not forget the importance of unearthing new talent and I am pleased that part of the programme for the festival, accommodates budding writers who are eager to gain new insight into the craft of writing.I am encouraged by late author and political activist, Ruth First. She considered herself primarily a labour reporter, and during the 1950s she was producing up to fifteen stories a week. Despite this high work rate, her writing remained vivid, accurate and often controversial. Her investigative journalism was the basis of her longer pamphlets and, later, her books.
Critics agree that perhaps more than the work of any other writer, the novels of Nadine Gordimer have given imaginative and moral shape to the recent history of South Africa. Therefore, there is still a chance and opportunity for women writers, to shape our society, reflect its dilemmas and celebrate its achievements.
The Western Cape is a HOME FOR ALL and we are very honoured that you have chosen our province to launch this very exciting event. I wish you well in your discussions and encourage you to take some time, to enjoy what this HOME FOR ALL has to offer.
