Press Release

SALA CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF ADVANCING OUR LITERARY HERITAGE

Celebrating 10 years of growth and exhilarating success, the South African Literary Awards (SALA) will honour over ten South African authors at a celebratory awards ceremony to be held at Tshwane Events Centre, Tshwane, Gauteng Province on November 7, 2015.

The prestigious South African Literary Awards were founded in 2005 by the wRite associates, in partnership with the national Department of Arts and Culture, as a platform to honour authors, writers, poets and literary practitioners who made and continue to make a contribution in the literary landscape in South Africa.

More than a one hundred luminaries have been honoured over the last decade, amongst them Nobel Award winner Nadine Gordimer, multi-award winning novelist Kgebetli Moele, literary journalists Bongani Madondo and Sabata-Mpho Mokae, poet Kobus Moolman, book critics Karabo Kgoleng and Jenny Crwys-Williams, short story writers Makhosazana Xaba and Reneilwe Malatji, scholars and prolific writers Zakes Mda, Mbulelo Mzamane, Ashraaf Kagee, Nhlanhla Maake, Imraan Coovadia, translator, poet, novelist and children’s writer Chris van Wyk and many others.

The list of nominees reflects the transformative nature not only of SALA, but the country’s literary community. The potpourri nature of the country provides a canvas on which writers manage to paint beautiful pictures without needing to look over their shoulders.

SALA honours writing and writers in all official languages and writers across ten categories. They are K.Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award, which is a celebration of one of the country’s most prolific authors of his generation, k. Sello Duiker. First- Time published writers are also acknowledged and honoured by the Awards. The other is the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Literary Award, honouring thespians in the genre, across all languages. In addition, there are:

  1. Poetry Award,
  2. Literary Translators Award,
  3. Lifetime Achievement Literary Award,
  4. Posthumous Literary Award,
  5. Literary Journalism Award,
  6. Creative Non-Fiction Award and,
  7. Chairperson’s Award.

As writers are given an equal opportunity to contest any of the awards categories, this year’s winners reflect that elevated state of South African literature, which has seen some of the local works adapted into screen- and stage-plays. South African literature is, indeed, on an upward spiral.

2015’s nominees are:

  1. Jannie Malan,
  2. Carol Campbell,
  3. Matebello Innocentia Masasa,
  4. Nekhavhambe Khalirendwe,
  5. Zukiswa Waanner, L.S.Mokoena,
  6. Edwin Cameron,
  7. Ruth Carneson,
  8. Antjie Krog,
  9. Achmat Dangor,
  10. Thokozani Madlenkosi Nene,
  11. Charl-Pierre Naude,
  12. Mangaliso Buzani,
  13. Bishop M.T.Makobe
  14. Karen Press
  15. Johanne de Lange
  16. RRR and HIE Dhlomo
  17. Michele Magwood and
  18. Abraham de Vries

The SALA has grown in leaps and bounds from when it started with only one category: the National Poet Laureate Prize and later followed by the Lifetime Achievement Literary Award, bestowed on luminaries across the land.

This year’s instalment will be outstanding and celebratory, as SALA will be preceded by a one-night live show, titled “AfreeLitMarts”, must-see exciting expertly choreographed multimedia live performance comprising music intersecting and interspersing storytelling, poetry, other literary performances, live painting, art, book, exhibitions and more.

 

For enquiries and more information:

Please visit www.sala.org.za and

www.africacenturyconference.co.za OR write to info@writeassociates.co.za

OR call: 011-791 4102

Issued by the South African Literary Awards © 9/10/2015