Authors from across the country are looking for better ways to sell their work and encourage people to read. They are calling for more festivals to exhibit their work and share ideas.
They shared their views at this year’s Lowveld Book Festival in White River, Mpumalanga. One of the problems however is that less people read nowadays and even fewer purchase books.
These writers are – from afar afield as eSwatini – and they want to grow the book industry.
Niq Mhlongo an author says: “We came here to share knowledge in writing as well as writing material that is going to be easy to read. I have also come to share ideas I have accumulated from my travels.’
Mancoba Mabuza an eSwatini author says: “I have learnt a lot from this session. The exposure that we do not get in Swaziland, I have been afforded here. It was truly a beneficial experience.”
Eleven-year-old Stacey Fru started playing with words at the age of seven. She has a foundation that focuses on getting children to read.
It also hosts workshops for young writers.
She took the opportunity to exhibit her three books, one of which has been taken by the Department of Education to be used for early childhood development.
“I developed the writing culture from a very young age as our parents used to read to us a lot. We also run workshops for young writers and encourage children to read,” says Fru.
The Lowveld Book Festival has been running for three years and this is the first time in the Lowveld that it involves writers from the continent.
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