The Centre for Creative Arts has announced its programme for the 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival, an annual meeting ground of South Africa’s leading and newly published authors to engage with the public in a vibrant cultural immersion programme where literature is celebrated, showcased and discussed.
“There couldn’t be a better meeting ground than in Durban – one of two cities on the African continent which enjoy the elevated status of a UNESCO City of Literature. The festival is presented both online and as an embodied live event at the KZNSA Gallery featuring a total of 80 writers in conversation about both their books and the subjects that they write about”, says Ismail Mahomed, the Director of the Centre for Creative Arts.
Headlining this year’s festival opening is award winning author and journalist Fred Khumalo in conversation with esteemed authors and thought-leaders, Njabulo Ndebele and Antjie Krog. In a separate event, Khumalo will also be in conversation with Mike Nicol in a celebration of their vast writing journeys from the days of Staffrider to logging some of the biggest news stories and publishing best-selling fiction producing decades of writing full of grit, talent and passion.
Festival curator, Shafinaaz Hassim, says , “The Centre for Creative Arts sets the space for authors and other thought-leaders to engage with how literature interrogates the festival theme, Ink-stitutions of Power, through memoir, political writing, fiction and social documentation which carries history and shapes the future of thought”.
Popular commentator, Ebrahim Fakir, will take an in depth look at how state capture through political and government corruption has eaten away at progress in SA in a conversation with investigative journalists, Micah Reddy, Jeff Wicks and member of parliament turned author, Andile Mnqxitama. Political analyst, Angelo Fick, will moderate a discussion with academics and writers, Imraan Buccus, Marzia Milazzo and Hlonipha Mokoena on the impact of colonization on race relationships and how it continues to influence the political arena.
The festival programme is equally balanced with delightful conversations about romance and a window into writing as a theatre of words. It will include book launches, creative writing workshops, outreach visits by authors to community venues and a dedicated Children’s festival programme. The festival takes place live at the KZNSA Gallery in Durban and online from 23 – 28 March 2026.
The festival schedule can be viewed at https://tow.ukzn.ac.za/29th-online/ . Online events are free. Bookings for the ticketed live events will open on Monday 16 February 2026 with literature enthusiasts being able to buy a single season ticket granting them access to all festival events. The 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival is supported by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, National Arts Council of South Africa and the KZN Department of Sport, Arts & Culture. Festival partners include the Wits Writing Centre, DALRO, ATKV and Norwegian Literature Abroad (NORLA) programme.
ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR CREATIVE ARTS:
The 30 year Centre for Creative Arts is a multi-disciplinary cultural hub in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Centre is renowned for presenting 5 of South Africa’s leading arts festivals – the Time of the Writer festival (29 years), JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival (28 years), Durban International film Festival (46 years), Poetry Africa (30 years) and the Artfluence Human Rights Festival (5 years). The Centre for Creative Arts is also host of the 5th World Slam Poetry Competition which will present 40 slam poets from forty nations competing for the global title in Durban during October 2026.
ABOUT THE CURATOR:
Shafinaaz Hassim is an multi award-winning author and sociologist. Her more than eighteen titles have received international and local acclaim. In 2014, she was listed by UNESCO as one of the top 39 writers in Africa under the age of 40. Her novels have been commended by the SALA and NIHSS awards and the UJ Prize for Creative Writing. She is also the author of the five-book Nisa Qamar series for young adults, which has been shortlisted twice for the Minara Aziz Hassim Literary Awards and the prestigious Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2019. Her novel Darlings of Durban received noteworthy accolade. Kimya Writes is her latest series. Hassim presents a popular book review show called BookBytes, show-casing cutting edge writing from local and international authors. She brings her varied industry expertise to the curation of Time of the Writer Festival.
Ayanda Chule
Centre for Creative Arts
Email: chulea@ukzn.ac.za
Shafinaaz Hassim
Festival curator
Mobile: 076 578 6545
