Programme independent publishers’ meeting

Venue: Board Room, Museum AfricaOld Market Building, 121 Bree Street, Newtown, Johannesburg

Thursday, 6 August

9–9.30Welcome by Oupa Lehulere, director of Khanya CollegeWelcome by Peter Anders, responsible for the cultural programmes of theGoethe- Institut in sub-Saharan AfricaWelcome by Alan Horwitz, Botsotso Publishing Collective9.30–10.45hIntroduction of participants10.45–11h

Coffee/tea break

11–12hPlenary discussionWhich challenges do independent publishers face today in Southern Africa?12–14.30h

Lunch break, mobile library performance and presentation of Keleketla library

13–14h

Film Festival at the auditorium of Museum Africa

14.30–17h Publishing the South:The locality of production or the production of locality.Publishing in African languages.Markets and festivals in the southern hemisphere.17h

Bus transport to House of Movements (Khanya College, 123 Pritchard Street)

18h

Theatre performance at House of Movements, 7

Floor

19h

Supper at House of Movements, 2

Floor

20.15h

Theatre performance at House of Movements, 7

Floor

Friday, 7 August

9–10.30h Audience and distribution.Invited speakers from distribution companies and publishers associations:Bacchus Books and the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA)10.30–11h

Coffee/tea break

11–12.30h Final discussion and wrap upLaunch of the independent publishers’ network in South and southern Africa12.30–14h

Lunch at House of Movements (Khanya College, 123 Pritchard Street)

and plenary discussion

Jozi Book Fair panel discussions

Apart from a number of book launches, readings and performances, the participants of the independent publishers’ meeting will be involved in a number of panel discussionsand round tables.

Saturday, 8 August

12–13h Book distribution in African countriesAllan Horwitz, Botsotso Publishers (Johannesburg)Andile Mngxitama, New Frank Talk Press (Johannesburg)Archie Dick, University of PretoriaBibi Bakare-Yusuf, Cassava Republic Press (Abuja)Billy Kahora, Kwani Magazine (Nairobi)Liepollo Rantekoa, Chimurenga Magazine (Cape Town)Phakama Mbonami, wordsetc. (Johannesburg)

Sunday, 9 August

10.30–11.30h Publishing in African languagesKundayi Masanzu, ANFASA (Johannesburg)Martin Njanga, Storymoja (Nairobi)Matome Seima, Dinkwe (Kimberley)Mxolisi Nyezwa, Kotaz Publishing (Port Elizabeth)Sabata-mpho Mokae, Sol T Plaatje Library (Kimberely)Sandile Ngidi, Baobab Magazine (Johannesburg)Vonani Bila, Timbila Poetry Project (Elim/Polokwane)Zwelethemba Twalo, writer, Jozi Spoken Word Festival

Roundtable: South African Economy in Crisis

After 17 years of uninterrupted economic growth the South African economy went into recessionin 2008, and growth plummeted in the 1st quarter of 2009. This growth, however, has beenaccompanied by controversy. The living standards of the black majority continued to decline, or at best stagnated. This panel will discuss the current crisis in the South African economy againstthe background of the deteriorating social conditions, and will engage with the question of theappropriateness or otherwise of the growth path followed by the South African government, andsupported by the business community over the last 15 years.Moderator: Oupa LehulerePanelists: Professor Patrick Bond, Lebogang Pheko

Roundtable: Social Crisis and Resistance in South Africa

South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, one of the highestHIV/AIDS infection rates, high drop-out rates from schools and universities, a growing housing

backlog and a health system on the brink of collapse. By all measures, South Africa faces adeep social crisis. This panel of speakers will discuss the sources of the social crisis in SA, itspatterns, the impact on ordinary people, and will relate this crisis to government policies in post-apartheid SA. The responses of ordinary people, both in terms of survival strategies adopted,and in terms of resistance to their deteriorating conditions, will be explored.Moderator: Professor Jackie CockPanelists: Salim Vally, Priscilla Everson

Roundtable: Women in South Africa Today

15 years after democracy South African women are located in a paradoxical space. On the onehand many progressive gender rights have been enshrined in law and in the constitution. On theother hand South African women, and in particular black working class women, are the poorestsection of the South African population, the endure extreme levels of violence everyday, theyface gender abuse on a daily basis, and they bear the burden of feeding families in adeteriorating economic environment. This panel will explore the sources and nature of thisparadox, will explore government policies and their impact in raising women out of poverty andabuse, and will explore responses by women to the conditions in which they find themselves.Moderator: Maria van DrielPanelists: Professor Elaine Salo, Zethu Matebeni, Professor Rachel Jewkes

Roundtable: Satire and Freedom of Expression in South Africa

Against the background of political attacks against cartoonists, and numerous libel cases againstthem here and abroad, satire as a form of political discourse has come under attack. This round-table seeks to position these attack in the context of debate on freedom of expression and therole of satire in public discussion and engagement on topical issues of public interest.Moderator: To be confirmedPanelists: To be confirmed

Roundtable: Black Women in South African fiction

The majority of SA’s population is women, and black working class women in particular. Due totheir socio-economic status, however, they constitute a minority of the reading and book buyingpublic. This panel of speakers will explore how black working class women are portrayed andtreated in South African literature, to what extent they are portrayed as agents who are involvedin changing their lives and destinies, and will explore the sources and meaning of the way blackworking class women are portrayed. This discussion will contrast this portrayal of black workingclass women in the literature dealing with the apartheid period to that dealing with the post-apartheid period.Moderator: Makhosazana XabaPanelists: Zukiswa Wanner, Angelina Sithebe, Philippa de Villiers

Roundtable: Indigenous language publishing in South Africa – challenges and prospects

South Africa now has eleven official languages, but for all intents and purposes English(described by some as a “language of record”) enjoys sole ‘official status’. This situation is partlythe legacy of apartheid, which relegated the languages spoken by the black majority (with the