Gaborone Book Festival kickstarts

STAFF WRITER | Friday September 17, 2021 10:36

“We are excited to be hosting quite a diversity of authors for this year’s festival who are from different fields and genres. We are featuring both Batswana and other African authors.

Our book chats, conversations and launches will have a sharp focus on children’s literature by African authors, gender based violence, how COVID-19 changed the world instantly, heritage, travel and culture,” said Keikantse Phele, co-founder and co-curator of the Gaborone Book Festival. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the festival will be hosted virtually.

GBF 21 confirmed authors and guests are; Nanjala Nyabola, Professor Thapelo Otlogetswe, Shudufhadzo Musida, Tshepo Moyo, Mabu Nteta, Sue Nyathi, Dr Zaheera Jina Asvat, Nompumelelo Mqwebu, Botho Lejowa, Kojo Baffoe, Oladele Olafuyi, Lorato Trok and Shubnum Khan.

The GBF is a not for profit organisation founded in late 2017. Prior to its establishment and its first instalment in September 2018, Botswana did not have an existing book festival or any literary platform.

The Trust was and remains a timely response to the underdevelopment and gross under-resourcing of the literary sector in Botswana. GBF’s main objective is to encourage people of all ages to read for pleasure, with a keen focus on promoting engagement with the literary works of authors from Botswana, as well as other authors and storytellers across the African continent and in the diaspora. The festival is a great opportunity to introduce authors to new audiences thus creating demand and inquiry into their work, which is essential. To achieve the objective, GBF uses various platforms throughout the year to engage audiences from school going children to adults.

These activity-driven platforms include a nationwide, year-long school outreach programme; the GBF Winter Series, Quarterly Book Nights, and the cornerstone event being the annual GBF.