Press Release

June 13 2009

Cape Town Book Fair       

Talking about books and empowering readers

Buzzing crowd beat their way to Cape Town Book Fair

The buzz was palpable as the doors opened on the biggest book event in sub-Saharan Africa, with one visitor saying that he and his blogging partner had been waiting all year for the start of the event, and had “skipped” through the front door.

The fourth annual Cape Town Book Fair opened to the public yesterday (Saturday June 13) and despite the gloomy weather the crowds streamed into the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Blogger Andrew Lamprecht of ArtHeat (correct) said the book fair was the highlight of his year, and that he had skipped into the hall this morning.

Chairman Director Dudley Schroeder said that when the fair had started four years ago as a collaboration between the Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA) and the Frankfurt Book Fair, it had been a leap of faith, “we didn’t know whether people would come or not”. Four years later, “the public have taken this event to heart, and it’s wonderful to see people coming together to celebrate books”.

Schroeder said that the inclusion this year of 12 publishers from sub-Saharan Africa, as guests of an initiative by the Goethe Institute was a boost and welcome development for the fair. “As is the attendance and enthusiasm of people in the book trade from South Africa and around the world,” said Schroeder.

Fair Director Vanessa Badroodien said, “Capetonians did us proud today, turning out in vast numbers, this fair is truly representative of the city and its people.”

“The fair has been a sell-out in terms of exhibitors and there is a real buzz around,” said Badroodien looking down from her office on to the exhibition floor and the scores of visitors streaming through the hall.

The discussions during the days programme were fully subscribed with one of the big events of the day being a reading from Touch (Random House Struik) - a book of short story narratives about the complexities of human relationships and loss. Lesley Byram, book editor of the Cape Times, attended the talk, which had to be moved to a larger venue due to demand for tickets. “It was amazing and Andre Brink seemed moved to tears during the readings she said.”

Whether it was vigorous debate, emotional moments or bookish friends catching up there was something for everyone at the fair, Byram said.

One of the popular events was author John van der Ruit who signed copies of his latest in the Spud series. “He was totally inspiring,” said Byram who reported that the Penguin stand was crowded with people wanting to meet him and have their copies of Spud – Learning to Fly signed. The big news is that John Cleese has been signed to play The Governor one of the characters in the novel.

On the political front in a discussion about issues of colour and identity in modern South Africa Professor Jonathan Jansen author of Knowledge in the Blood: Confronting Race and the Apartheid Past spoke to a packed room about how he had been affected by the perceptions of his white students and how South Africans needed to really understand each other and their histories in order to make sense of what it means to be a South African today.

Schroeder said that words and books empower people, “I’ve said it often before, and I will say it again, the only way to empower people is through extending literacy and events such as the Cape Town Book Fair help us to focus on that.”

And, while all the serious interaction was taking place, in one corner of the hall children played among books in the kidzone, beating out a celebration of the written word on African drums.

The fair runs until Tuesday at 5pm.

Entrance to the fair costs R50 a day, with a discount for Exclusive Books Fanatics members of 50%, students with student cards get free entry as do children under the age of 18 accompanied by an adult. The four days of the fair are filled with events, readings, books to buy and books to drool over.

For a of both the adults and children’s events go to www.capetownbookfair.co.za

Visit the Cape Town Book Fair Blog at capetown-bookfair.blogspot.com.

Issued on behalf of the Cape Town Book Fair by HWB Communications

For more information contact:  Vanessa Badroodien, Managing Director, CTBF. Tel: 021 418 5493.

Email: vanessab@capetownbookfair.co.za.

Website: www.capetownbookfair.com

or Jennifer Crocker at HWB

Tel: 021 4620416

Email: Jennifer@hwb.co.za

Cell: 082 924 1095