Archive for the ‘News’ Category
by Amy on Oct 30th, 2012
It was announced yesterday that president Jacob Zuma has dropped the law suit against Zapiro over his infamous Lady Justice cartoon. Following the withdrawal of charges, the Presidency has today challenged Zapiro to a public debate.
In an article for the Mail & Guardian, presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj is quoted as saying: “Let’s look at [the cartoon] through the multicultural lens of South Africa … in an atmosphere where we can listen to each other and stop pretending that any one individual has the infallible answers to all our problems.” Zapiro told the newspaper that he finds the idea of a debate intriguing.
In an article for The New Age Zapiro expressed his relief that Zuma’s R5 million claim, which was subsequently reduced, has now been dropped completely. He considers it a victory for freedom of speech.
According to an IOL article, the claim was withdrawn so as to not set a legal precedent that could harm freedom of speech.
Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj, who extended the invitation to Shapiro, said a debate would help “create an environment of dialogue rather than confrontation”, the Star reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, the suit against Shapiro and the Sunday Times over the Lady Justice cartoon was formally withdrawn.
Cartoonist Jonathan “Zapiro” Shapiro is relieved the “Lady Justice” cartoon court battle with President Jacob Zuma is over, he said on Monday.
It’s a great victory for freedom of expression and for satire and for comment,” he said by telephone from Cape Town.
Media lawyer Dario Milo said the case was formally withdrawn on Monday morning.
President Jacob Zuma withdrew his claim for damages against cartoonist “Zapiro” to avoid setting a legal precedent, the presidency said on Sunday.
“The president… would like to avoid setting a legal precedent that may have the effect of limiting the public exercise of free speech, with the unforeseen consequences this may have on our media, public commentators and citizens,” his spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement on Sunday.
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by Amy on Oct 19th, 2012
The Jacana Literary Foundation is pleased to announce the winner of the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award 2012. Siddiq Khan accepted the honour for his poem “Anthem for the old nations” at a prize-giving ceremony at the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban.
Second place went to Vonani Bila for his entry “boys from seshego”. The jury was comprised of distinguished South African poets Liesl Jobson, Goodenough Mashego and Johann de Lange. The jury deliberated on the entries and sent a shortlist to Dr Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali, who chose the winner.
Both poems, as well as a selection of poetry entered for the competition, have been published to coincide with the ceremony.
About the anthology
The Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology Vol II honours the spirit of the legendary intellectual giant, Sol Plaatje, the activist, linguist, translator, novelist, journalist and leader.
Poetry lovers – those who enjoy reading it and those who are compelled to write it – will find in this collection a truly splendid experience of the country’s soul. So much of the ineffable human spirit and experience that usually remains untold is gently lifted above the surface with care, attention and honesty. Here, for the reader who must yet write of his or her own intimate recovery and sacred journey, are guideposts on the way. Here, for those who are already on the journey, are good and wise and funny journeymen and women to keep them company on the road.
The Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award is supported by the European Union.
Entries for the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Competition 2013 are now open.
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by Amy on Jul 25th, 2011
According to Alexandre Poussin, a pair of hiking boots lasts approximately 2000km, and he would know, since he and his wife Sonia have hiked over 14 000km from Cape Town to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of mankind. At the launch of their second book, Africa Trek 2, the gregarious couple recounted their unusual African honeymoon that lasted for three years.
At an intimate gathering at Love Books in Melville, the couple spoke about the magic of walking and how it had broken down barriers and allowed them to experience first hand the diversity of people who live on the African continent. “Our plan was to follow in the footsteps of the first hominids, but our principle was to share each night as guests of Africans,” said Alexandre.
Alexandre recalled that he received a lot of flak for taking his fragile ‘blonde’ wife on the trek, but he said she was definitely not fragile and, smiling, Sonia broke into the conversation and adding that their marriage proved to be a valuable status as “marriage is something that African society values.”
Before embarking upon their phenomenal journey, the couple made a decision to decline all offers of lifts. “We knew that if we took one lift, we would set a precedent, and we didn’t want that,” said Alexandre. Instead, the Poussin’s walked through dangerous terrain where lion attacks were frequent and trudged past dried rivers when their water had run out.
The couple also declined to undertake research before their trip. “We didn’t want our experience to be coloured by preconceptions; instead we relied on the advice of the people we came across on our travels. We felt their advice was more relevant and useful,” says Alexandre. “Africa comes across as a war-ravaged continent, but in our travels we didn’t encounter any signs of warring factions and the trip really challenged those perceptions that are promulgated in the media.”
The couple said that they found Africans resilient, that most Africans rely on themselves, their communities and their faith. Throughout their trip the couple journalled, meditated and were mindful about remembering the special people who made their travels possible. “Our African trek made us realise that the impossible is possible.”
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by Thando on Dec 2nd, 2010
Jacana is delighted to announce that it has opened a bookstore on its homepage, www.jacana.co.za. Buy fabulous Jacana books directly from the source! You’ll get next day delivery in many cases, and 20% off the retail price. Start browsing now at www.jacana.co.za!
Please email website@jacana.co.za so we can improve our service to you.
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by Thando on Nov 26th, 2010
Jacana Media and Wordsworth Books invite you to the launch of Passes & Poorts: Getaway’s Top 30 Scenic Mountain Routes in the Western Cape by Marion Whitehead.
From the Cederberg in the northwest to the Tsitsikamma Mountains in the east, the rugged mountains of the Western Cape from a formidable barrier between the coastal plateau and the hinterland. Many of the modern passes through them still follow ancient animal migration routes; others are engineering masterpieces that challenge gravity. Passes & Poorts provides a detailed guide to the most scenic and is packed with information to enrich readers’ driving experience, from fauna and flora to the personalities behind the passes.
See you there!
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by Tumi on Nov 12th, 2010
Jacana Media and the Goethe-Institut invite you to the launch of Positions: Contemporary Artists in South Africa.
Ranging from resistance to education, contemporary artists are increasingly raising opposition to economic pressure, radical social change and rapidly changing identities. How does the local contemporary art scene respond to the worldwide dynamics of globalisation? Which social, political and cultural positions do individual artists adopt?
This volume presents views of some of South Africa’s most prominent artists, writers, choreographers, photographers and musicians. Produced in direct dialogue with journalists and cultural scientists from the respective art scenes, developments within today’s cultural flashpoints are illuminated in interviews, portraits and essays.
Throughout, the focus is on the artists’ individual perspectives, not theoretical or historical concepts, with their specific approaches and different forms of expression they give insight into the pressing issues of South African society, showing how political art is positioned in the post-apartheid era.
Please join us for the launch featuring live music by Ntone Edjabe and photographic exhibition by Sally Shorkend.
See you there!
Event Details
- Date: Tuesday, 23 November 2010
- Time: 6:30 PM for 7:00 PM
- Venue: Private Practice
19th Storey, The Lister Building
195 Jeppe Street
Johannesburg | Map
- RSVP: amy@jacana.co.za, 011 628 3202
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by Thando on Nov 11th, 2010
Jacana Media and Exclusive Books invite you to the launch of The Au Pair by Michele Macfarlane.
The Au Pair bravely goes where no other book has gone, and tells the story which so many women have experienced, with complete honesty. There is no other lesbian account that addresses the issues faced in the book as directly, and as openly. Furthermore, it is a tale that everyone who has encountered similar circumstances will be able to identify with, and benefit from. Whether it is a mother, whose daughter reveals herself to be gay, or a young woman, trying to come to terms with her sexuality
The Au Pair is a tantalising true story of a British wife and mother of three whose life is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with her pretty and much younger Afrikaans au pair.
Michele Macfarlane will be in conversation with journalist and former Cape Talk 567 host, Lisa Chait.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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by Thando on Nov 4th, 2010
Anticipating her interview with South Africa’s very own cult favourite, Lauren Beukes, The Daily Maverick‘s Mandy De Waal was understandably a little anxious. I mean, pink lightsaber!
Successfully avoiding what Beukes termed the “deja-intavu,” however, De Waal gives us a good glimpse into the wonderful and wacky world of the Zoo City and Moxyland author – leaving us simultaneoulsy more informed and befuddled, but definitely wanting more :
Moving towards the mind of South Africa’s first lady of sci-fi and fantasy noir is an experience in altered realities. The woman who makes other literary legends yearn to write that well mashes the strange and the familiar together to reinvent new worlds for her books, the acclaimed “Moxyland” and recently released “Zoo City”.
In real life engaging with her is just as much of a trip as is reading her books. The request for an interview is met with delicious introspection that feels like tumbling down a rabbit hole or being seduced to take the red or the blue pill. Like turning the first page of her novels. You know it’s going to mess with your mind, will become a compulsion, but there’s only one way to go. Further and further into world of Lauren Beukes.
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Image courtesy Kulula.com‘s in-flight Khuluma magazine, via yFrog
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by Sophy on Jul 20th, 2010
Next week Lauren Beukes will launch Zoo City in London – with appearances at Forbidden Planet and meetings of the British Science Fiction Association and British Fantasy Society. Anticipating her London arrival, Tali Barnett interviewed Beukes for The South African:
“Everything is f*cking political”
From Beukes’ perspective, “it’s a novel about crime, magic and music, refugees and redemption. Zinzi, a girl with a sloth on her back and the magical ability to find lost things, is dragged into Johannesburg’s seedy underbelly when she takes on the job of locating a missing pop star.
It’s wildly inventive fiction, set in a re-imagined Joburg – I guess it’s a bit China Mieville meets Phillip Pullman with a dose of District 9, without the aliens.”
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by Thando on May 12th, 2010
In Banquet at Brabazan, Patricia Schonstein takes us to the heart of Cape Town’s violent inner city, creating a cornucopia of events featuring superb food, romance, a cappella, an angel, Shakespearean drama, reflections on South Africa’s war in Angola, drug-money, a muti murder, visions of the Afterlife and various works of fine art with flashbacks to the wondrous A Time of Angels, one of the author’s previous novels.
The novel is rich with her characteristic use of fabric, fine-art, poetry and magic as well as her deep and philosophical questioning of the human condition.
At core, Banquet at Brabazan is the story of an enduring, secret love affair between a boss and his secretary who create a fantastical, magical, theatrical, costumed, Italianate life for themselves within the confines of her apartment.
Outside of that contrived space, exists the real world of loneliness, xenophobia and crime that have come to mark post-apartheid South Africa.
Patricia Schonstein deftly leads us through both worlds, allowing the lives of a small group of people, who have not met before, to intersect over a period of ten days at Brabazan Bar & Lodge, in Long Street, Cape Town. Here she reveals a poignant and beautiful patina of hope and love.
With this, her sixth novel, Patricia affirms herself as one of South Africa’s leading authors and a master of magic-realism.
About the Author
Patricia Schonstein is an internationally published novelist and poet who grew up in Rhodesia and now lives in South Africa. She completed her master’s degree in creative writing under the supervision of JM Coetzee at the University of Cape Town. Her previous works include, among others: Skyline, A Time of Angels, The Apothecary’s Daughter, A Quilt of Dreams, The Unknown Child.
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