As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Women’s March on Pretoria in partnership with the 10th Artscape Woman’s Humanity and Arts Festival (AWHAF) from 4 to 9 August, Woman Zone is celebrating women in literature with a STORY CAFE @ WOMAN ZONE(5, 6 and 8 August) which will be held at the Women’s Library on the ground floor of Artscape next to the box office.
Presenting a number of themes – Memoirs and Mothers on Friday 5 August,Heritage Food on Saturday 6 August and Healing our society through writing on Monday 8 August – each day also offers aspiring storytellers an opportunity to tell their story at the open MIC session after the launches and panel discussions. A children’s storytelling session on Saturday invites Moms and Dads to listen to with their children. The Story Cafe will be open from 3pm to 7pm on Friday 5, 2:30pm to 7pm Saturday 6 and 3pm to 7pm on Monday 8 August.
Clarke’s Book Shop will have a table selling well-known and new titles by women and it’s a chance to view the books in the Woman Zone collection, network with writers and poets and there will be a coffee station outside.
Visitors will be able to meet authors, listen to discussions and share their own story, poem or reading on any of these days. Authors will be on hand to discuss and promote their books so it’s an ideal opportunity to engage and enjoy the power of the written word.
The programme is as follows: (subject to change)
Friday 5 August
Theme: Memoirs and Mothers
Our memories shape our lives and, intertwined with the influence of our mothers, the journey we take can be both joyful and painful. Our authors have recorded their experiences to create works that resonate with each one of us but also show how words can be healing and cathartic.
3:30pm: Panel discussion Phillippa Kabali – Kagwa: Flame and Song, Ntsiki Sigege: Broken Wing, Malika Ndlovu: Invisible Earthquake and Ruth Carneson: Girl on the Edge, moderated by Nancy Richards
5: 00pm: Share your story – this session will open with a short story fromTjieng Tjang Tjerries by Jolyn Phillips and Unsettled by Sandra Hill followed by an Open Mic story sharing. All aspiring storytellers and writers are welcome.
Saturday 6 August
2:30 to 3:30pm: Children’s Storytelling with Bumble books. Elena Agnello author of I am Alex, Lucy Stuart Clark of Table Mountain goes on Holiday, and Strawberry Soup by Nicole Levin.
From 3:30 pm: We talk about Heritage Food
If anything reflects our cultures then it’s the food on our tables. With influences from so many diverse cultures, a melting pot of delicious dishes has built bridges through our communities. We live on the Spice Route and our well known authors use these ingredients to create dishes that are memorable.
3:30pm: My Life with Food is Cass Abrahams’ tantalizing story and her relationship with food gives us her take on the influences of food in her life.
5:00pm: Panel Discussion on Heritage Food with Koelsoem and Flori: Koop SaamKaaps, and contributors to The Great South African Cookbook moderated by Beryl Eichenberger.
6:00pm: Share your story: Opens with a short excerpt from Dianne Case’s The Rules followed again by an Open Mic story sharing opportunity.
Monday 8 August
Theme – Healing society – finding the solutions.
The violence in our society cannot be ignored. Some brave women have written about their experiences. They will explore the healing and cathartic aspects of this and discuss solutions.
3:30pm: Panel discussion: moderated by Jade Gibson – Glowfly Dance; with Grizelda Grootboom – EXIT – a True Story ; Michelle Hattingh – I’m the girl who was raped; and representatives from Rape Crisis and Mosaic.
5:00pm: Share your story – This session will open with a poem fromVerbalized by Bulelwa Basse, Nakanjani/Anyway by Nombeko Cynthia Mpongo and Busang Senne presents her short story from the anthology It Takes Two followed by a final Open Mic story sharing opportunity.
Alongside these literary activities these AWHAF events are not to be missed.
The annual WOMEN’S HUMANITY WALK is designed to unite Cape Town through its women. This year it will start at the iconic Iziko Slave Lodge in Adderley Street and proceed to the Artscape Plaza.
As always it will be blessed by women leaders of different faiths through SAFFI – The South African Faith and Family Institute.
All are invited to join the Walk: Women, men, children and the disabled, where possible and marshals will be provided by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
Symbolising support for the disabled, Artscape CEO Marlene le Roux will travel on a flatbed truck, courtesy Tekton auto body repairs heading up the Walk. The truck with be decorated with rosettes of traditional shweshwe fabric courtesy Da Gama Textiles and made up by Craig Carbutt and Mara Fleischer of the Cape Craft and Design Initiative. Accompanying Marlene on the truck will be a performance poet and musician.
Women are invited to wear doeks or headdresses appropriate to their culture; to carry a placard showing the name of a woman by whom she has been inspired; women’s organisations are invited to bring their banners – and as is now tradition, during the Walk everyone is encouraged to talk to someone they don’t know in the spirit of unity.
The WIRE WOMAN commemorates all of Cape Town’s women, past and present. She is a giant collaborative artwork designed by Sue Kramer andLovell Friedman and made up by Street Wires. From mid – July Wire Woman will be installed at Artscape where visitors may decorate her with ribbons and labels on which they can write the name of a woman they would like to honour.
Artist performer, well known artist Sithembile Msezane will perform her one-woman piece The Charter on the Artscape steps at the end of the Walk.
Being screened will be commemorative art video by Sylvie Phillips, a poetry/photographic presentation by Lindeka Qampi, a short video by journalist Sophie Woolley and a Mayibuye poster exhibition will also be on display throughout the Festival.