The Book Fair 2019 offered a delightful buffet to bookworms with a variety of authors and books.
This year’s venue, Constitution Hill, added interest to the fair because of it iconic history.
Book lovers had an opportunity to learn about South African history while discovering new exciting writers and meeting personal favourites.
ALSO READ:
Loads of fun at this year’s Book Fair
Learners interacted with various writers, from legendary multi-lingual storytelling activist and poet Dr Gcina Mhlophe and comic writer Loyiso Mkize to author Jeremy Daniel.
Mhlophe shared her passion for IsiZulu and Xhosa and what the Book Fair means to her.
“I love telling stories in both languages. It’s important to tell our stories in our languages. You can fully express yourself in your mother tongue.
“Everything around us has a story, we just need to write those stories and share them,” said Mhlophe.
“People are looking for books in their own languages, but they cannot find those books.”
She encouraged authors to start writing in Nguni languages as she believes there is a market.
The fair also had loads to offer comic lovers.
South African superhero creator Loyiso Mkize was also part of the fair to share about Kwezi and the world of comic books in SA.
Mkize said Kwezi was inspired by the non-existence of South African based superheroes.
“Growing up there was Spiderman and Batman, but not any of our own. I felt we needed that superhero that we can say is experiencing issues young people or children experience on a daily basis in SA.
“Kwezi is a 19-year-old resident of Gold City who deals with any other issues young people deal with, but South African cultures are infused,” said Mkize.
He said through Kwezi he wanted to tell a South African story of a young boy who is a superhero, but also share history and cultural education.
“I wanted to create a deep and textured story. I had to research different cultures, different histories, different African aesthetics and customs.
“These entire elements inspired the hero’s story with the mix of ancient South African culture,” said Loyiso.
He said comics have a role to play, just like books, in inspiring young people and children to read.
“A comic book like Kwezi can inspire because it’s set in a place the reader can relate to. The graphics add to the experience of reading and that can play a major role in the reader becoming part of the story and understanding it even better,” said Loyiso.
He said whether it’s a book or a comic, they all have a role to play in inspiring the young and old to read.
