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Speaker 1: Seven too Weekend Breakfast the Literature Corner.

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Speaker 2: It's eleven minutes before ten o'clock. Time for us to

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Speaker 2: talk literature. And this week we're talking about the Chinasburg

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Speaker 2: Festival of Women Writers. It is running from today, the

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Speaker 2: seventh of March until tomorrow, the eighth of March at

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Speaker 2: the Mendela Theater at joe Burg Theater and it's going

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Speaker 2: to bring together readers, authors, literary enthusiasts. They're going to

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Speaker 2: be panel discussions, workshops, launchers and interactive sessions. And one

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Speaker 2: of the people that's part of this year's program is

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Speaker 2: Babwe lawyer and acclaimed author Patina Gappa. Patina joins us

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Speaker 2: via zoom this morning. Patina, A very good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to Weekend Breakfast.

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Speaker 1: Good morning, OK, thank you so much for inviting me.

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Speaker 1: I hope you can hear me.

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Speaker 2: Yes, we can hear you nice and clearly, loud and

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Speaker 2: clearly wonderful. Thank you so much for your time. So, Patina,

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Speaker 2: tell us about the Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers. Why

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Speaker 2: you are part of the program where it was important

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Speaker 2: for you to say yes when the festival reached out

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Speaker 2: to you.

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Speaker 1: Well, the festival is actually the brainchild of a very

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Speaker 1: eminent and a come published South African and that is

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Speaker 1: Ambassador Barbara Masekela. I'm sure her name is not a

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Speaker 1: strained one to your listeners. Those who know and have

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Speaker 1: followed her career know that she was South Africa's first

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Speaker 1: ambassador to France and UNESCO. So she's always been really

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Speaker 1: interested in the arts and especially in the literary arts.

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Speaker 1: So about five years ago she started this Festival of

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Speaker 1: Women Writers. And I'm very delighted to be part of

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Speaker 1: the fourth iteration of the fourth version of the festival.

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Speaker 2: You're going to be part of a panel that's taking

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Speaker 2: place tomorrow. It's called Pushing Frontiers and Writing. Are we

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Speaker 2: conforming or evolving? Tell us about this theme and what

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Speaker 2: are some of the I guess some of the issues

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Speaker 2: you would like to tease out or put on the

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Speaker 2: table for discussion tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: Well, first of all, I'm the keynote speaker tonight. I'm

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Speaker 1: opening the festival sort of officially by giving a twenty

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Speaker 1: keynote speech. And the theme of this Yes festival is

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Speaker 1: it's a it's based on I think it's a Zulu

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Speaker 1: saying and I'm sorry my my zool is not the best,

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Speaker 1: but it's in that it was quapa pambilli, right, which

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Speaker 1: means that we learn from our forebearers, We learned from

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Speaker 1: those who have gone before. So my focus this weekend

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Speaker 1: is to just emphasize the fantastic writers, the women writers

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Speaker 1: on whose shoulders we are all standing.

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Speaker 2: And I guess you know kind of where we are,

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Speaker 2: you know where the festival is, kind of where we

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Speaker 2: are globally. Why is it so crucial to be having

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Speaker 2: these intergenerational interu you know, inter intergenerational inter continental conversations

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Speaker 2: among women and kind of the state of where we are.

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Speaker 1: You'll google. That's such a great question. I mean, the

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Speaker 1: world is going absolutely crazy. I mean we've seen what's

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Speaker 1: happening in the Middle East, We've seen what's happening in

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Speaker 1: Gaza and Ukraine. And I think that when the world

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Speaker 1: is going through such anxious and at certain times, books

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Speaker 1: really matter. Literature matters, ideas matter, neactivity and connection matters.

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Speaker 1: So the idea that we still find space and time

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Speaker 1: for festivals that allow us to think and reflect and

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Speaker 1: just share ideas, I think it's a wonderful thing.

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Speaker 2: And I think also what's quite important is you know,

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Speaker 2: you being quite an acclaimed writer. You've won the African

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Speaker 2: Natary Person of there by Brittle Paper. You know, also

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Speaker 2: being in conversation with not only just younger writers, but

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Speaker 2: women from you know, different different parts of the country,

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Speaker 2: different parts of the continent as well, which I think

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Speaker 2: is such a crucial thing when we think about, you know,

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Speaker 2: what is the world we imagine like right now that

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Speaker 2: we are, in many senses seeing kind of a war

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Speaker 2: led by men, what does you know the world women imagine?

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Speaker 2: What would we like to see different? And I wonder

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Speaker 2: if that's also being to be one of the I

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Speaker 2: guess areas that we'll touch on that when we think

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Speaker 2: of world building, when we think of a future beyond

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Speaker 2: this one that doesn't involve war, genocide, what does that

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Speaker 2: look like for us and particularly for African women who

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Speaker 2: are so often left out of the conversation.

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Speaker 1: Actually, you've given me a threat to follow on the

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Speaker 1: panel tomorrow. You know, imagine a world led by women.

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Speaker 1: I think that might actually be something that we should

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Speaker 1: sort of like try and realize on cocutures, I mean,

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Speaker 1: right now, we Namibia, right they have they have a

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Speaker 1: female president, and then of course we have Tanzania. We

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Speaker 1: have a female president, but unfortunately how she got into

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Speaker 1: power is not something that we would want any president

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Speaker 1: to be elected on the basis of such an election.

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Speaker 1: So yes, I think there's a lot to think about.

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Speaker 1: You know, what would what would the WARLD that is

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Speaker 1: led by women look like? That's certainly something I'll try

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Speaker 1: and bring to the panel tomorrow. Thank you for that idea, Google.

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Speaker 2: It is a pleasure and so for you in addition

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Speaker 2: to you know, giving the keynote being part of the panel,

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Speaker 2: what are some of the things you are looking forward

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Speaker 2: to that you'd like to just enjoy as an attendee

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Speaker 2: at this year's Woman Writers Festival.

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Speaker 1: Well, I'm looking forward to the bookshop, mostly because I

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Speaker 1: just want to see what new books have come out

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Speaker 1: recently in South Africa, especially in South Africa, and you

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Speaker 1: guys have such a great publishing industry. I know that

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Speaker 1: this that space is shrinking a little bit, but you

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Speaker 1: have got such a great a great industry and I'm

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Speaker 1: really looking forward to seeing what new books. I'm sorry,

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Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to seeing what new books have come

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Speaker 1: out in the last year or so.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And so the festival kicks off today at runs

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Speaker 2: until tomorrow. Where is the festival taking place. Our tickets

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Speaker 2: for sale? Do you just register and then show up?

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Speaker 2: How does attendance work?

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Speaker 1: I believe people can just show up, but I'm not

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Speaker 1: sure if the events are ticketed, but I know that

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Speaker 1: it's taking place at the Johannesburg National Theater. That's a

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Speaker 1: really great venue. The last time I was there was

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Speaker 1: to watch My bat Have you seen it the Zulu Macbeth.

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Speaker 3: No, I have no fantastic play? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it

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Speaker 3: had a run about. I think it was ten years ago,

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Speaker 3: that is when when I was there for the first time.

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Speaker 3: But it's such a great venue, and I believe there's

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Speaker 3: also a children's literature section, so bring the kids along

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Speaker 3: for storytelling. And yeah, it's going to be a great weekend.

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Speaker 3: And we're also celebrating International Women's Day, you know, so

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Speaker 3: it's the perfect time for it. Great.

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Speaker 2: Patina must thank you so much for giving us time

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Speaker 2: this morning. It's been a great pleasure having me on

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Speaker 2: the show.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Google.

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Speaker 2: Thank you. That is Zimbabwean lawyer and critically acclaimed and

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Speaker 2: award winning author Patina Gabas. She's part of the program

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Speaker 2: of the Janisburg Festival of Women Writers. When we come back.

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Speaker 2: We find out from Kenny Maystreet what's coming up and

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Speaker 2: seven o two music when he takes over at ten

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Speaker 2: o'clock