Writers, intellectuals engage in discussion

Intriguing discussions abounded at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium television room last Thursday night when writers and literature gurus debated crucial subjects during the Conversation on Literature and Humanities.
The session, hosted by the seventh annual Polokwane Literary Fair in partnership with the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (Jias) and Timbuktu Book Club, attracted well established writers such as Niq Mohlongo, Zukiswa Wanner and Hans Pienaar. The first conversation was held last Wednesday which was attended by students and academics from the University of Limpopo.
Timbuktu Book Club coordinator Molebatsi Masedi emphasised that the sessions were critical and would help them to build the country. He said their wish is to have a country that reads and added that book clubs were important because one gets to understand things better than when they read alone. Masedi highlighted that when one reads alone, you might misinterpret things, adding that the conversation is part of the envisaged joint-dialogues with the Polokwane Literary Fair to inculcate the spirit of reading in people of Polokwane and Limpopo in general.
On Thursday night, attendees focused their discussions on ‘memory’ and the opening remarks were made by head of Jias Peter Vale who stated that they were keen to know what sparks the memory and how it operates. He further said they were planning to have a seminar to try and understand how memory works. Vale indicated that little work has been done on the link between cartoons and society and added that some issues can only be understood through cartoons and creative writing.
He said there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed across the globe and urged people to seek the key to deal with the problems. He concluded by saying, food unites people and conversations tabled around the dinner table can help find the key to solve problems.
Pienaar said he was working on his new novel and indicated that Polokwane would be featured in that work based on a rugby player. He stated that he has been doing a research on the history of rugby since 2005 and the internet was not rich with information at that time. He further said the society needs literature to understand a variety of subjects.
Mohlongo took to the podium and revealed that ‘memory’ needs to be debated to find out how it works. He said he is working on a book on his late brother whom he never met in his entire life and knows nothing about. He further said his brother was allegedly killed for muthi in Giyani before he was born and he decided to write a book about him.
The floor was open for attendees to raise their views on memory and one of them said he had great memories about his late father: “I see him like an angel and I don’t know what triggers these memories,” and Pienaar advised him to write a book about his visuals because writers normal steal such ideas.
Wanner read a paragraph from her book titled ‘Hardly working’ and highlighted that some of the statements were from the memories she had. The authors and Vale visited three high schools in Mankweng, Frans Mohlala, Mamabudisha and Ramashobohle on Wednesday and Polokwane Correctional Service on Thursday.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za