From June 15 to 18 story lovers and love stories will mingle with academics, movie makers and robot coders in Cradock to make the 2023 edition of the Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival unforgettable.
Olive Schreiner, a former resident of Cradock, was a fierce believer in equality. Not only did she fight for women to gain equality with men, but she also actively campaigned for racial equality as well. Her free-spirited thoughts on sex, gender and marriage continue to surprise her readers.
The annual Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival has become a firm favourite for literati and for families who need a break from the city.
The event will open with visits to the Schreiner House Museum, a Cradock Writers’ Exhibition at the Fish River Museum and a Karoo Artwork Exhibition at Victoria Manor.
On the evening of June 15, the beautiful Victoria Manor will present a dinner-theatre production with stoepstories on the main menu.
On 16 June the movie “All that is buried”, partly shot in Cradock, will be screened. Directors Simon Stanton-Sharma and Maire Tracey will be on hand to discuss their film, and then they will run a workshop for young filmmakers.
The workshop is sponsored by AVBOB. Every year, through the generous support of The AVBOB Poetry Project, immersive training sessions are presented to groups of Creative Arts and Languages educators – in three language groups, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.
AVBOB also sponsors a workshop on how to embark on a journey creating a children’s book, while Lize-Marie Lombard, in conjunction with CCET, will introduce attendees to the language of coding and robotics.
On the same day, international scholars Jade Munslow Ong (University of Salford, UK), Sanja Nivesjo (University of Salford, UK) and Andrew van der Vlies (University of Adelaide, Australia) will be joined by local scholars Paul Walters, Jeremy Fogg, Dan Wylie and Bev Thomas who will share their latest insights into a thinker who was a century ahead of her time.
The day will end with a ménage à trois. Devon Florence, Garreth Robinson and Bridget Harrison will explain the everlasting love story of Clara Schuman, Robert Schuman and Johannes Brahms. This will happen while the audience enjoys a decadent meal befitting a classic tale of passion.
On June 17, the AVBOB writers’ workshops will continue where Tony Jackman will interview Ari Seirlis, Crystal Warren and Ian Sutherland, while Izak de Vries will interview Dean Allen and Briony Chisholm. Attendees can expect valuable tips on writing and publishing during these sessions.
Janet Kingwell and Zongile Matshoba will host the Karoo Artwork Exhibition and an isiXhosa digital exhibition while the irrepressible Chris and Julie du Toit will take attendees on a virtual Karoo travel show with their photographs and stories.
Love will return to the stage when Des Lindberg joins Jackman and Melina Smith for songs and stories on that warm, fuzzy thing called love. This will, once again, be accompanied by a delicious dinner.
On the morning of June 18, breakfast will be offered, and attendees will then be free to explore the town and the nearby National Mountain Zebra Park before heading home.
For more information and bookings, reservations@tuishuise.co.za.
