KZN women authors set to coach aspiring writers
Durban — Three KwaZulu-Natal women are ready to promote the culture of reading at the first annual iLembe Book Festival taking place at Luthuli Museum in KwaDukuza in February 2024.
The book festival titled “Our Time, Our Stories, Our Voices” will feature esteemed authors Nozizwe Jele, Dudu Busani-Dube and Ayanda Xaba.
Busani-Dube, the author of the popular Hlomu series of self-published novels, said she believed that the festival would give them the responsibility to encourage reading and writing skills in the local community.
“Reading opens one’s mind to different things and different worlds, and expands horizons. In order to create a culture of reading among children, we need to make books accessible to them and write stories they can relate to,” she said.
Busani-Dube, Xaba and Jele are the facilitators and part of the festival’s organising committee.
Jele said it had always been her dream to tap into writing to nurture emerging local talent through writing workshops.
“Children are great imitators, and I believe one way to instil a reading culture as adults, is to be seen reading and showing a passion for books. I also believe that buying children’s books and reading to them is important. On a practical level, reading also opens your mind, makes you more aware of the world and its people, and perhaps makes you a little more empathetic.”
The iLembe Book Festival programme will feature writing workshops to train aspiring local authors, visits to local schools to drop off books and encourage young people to read and write, and a one-on-one session with the three authors.
Book lovers will also get a chance to buy their favourite reads.
For updates, visit www.ilembebookfestival.co.za or Facebook: @iLembe Book Festival
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Daily News