The City of Johannesburg annually provides grants to civil society organisations which serve our residents, particularly the poor and previously marginalised.
The Abantu Book Festival, which recently marked its third anniversary, is one such beneficiary of grant funding from the city.
The funding was given on the basis of the festival and its organisers’ core commitment to ensuring the promotion of African literature and celebrating writers and authors from the diaspora – especially black women writers.
The City deployed a team of officials to assess the event and the feedback received was that the festival aligned very well with the objectives of Community Development. It was deemed an exciting environment that encouraged a reading culture among young and old.
However, the City has noted the recent press commentary around the organisers’ “for black people” stance. Our Community Development department immediately got in touch with the organisers to express our concerns on the suggestions of exclusion of certain patrons on the basis of race.
The City does not tolerate racism in any form, and from any individual or juristic persons. This is contradictory to the City’s priority of enabling social cohesion and unity, and certainly not in line with the Constitution of this country.
We were reassured that there was no instance of racism, and that the position of the Abantu Book Festival has never been to exclude any racial group from attending the festival. Its policy remains, however, to prioritise black writers - and their works -, given the marginalisation many have endured in the publishing industry over many years. Representation remains a concern in the book publishing industry in this country, and efforts to influence its transformation should be backed. This is why the City has supported this event, and will continue to do so with similar initiatives.
We would like to encourage all residents of the City of Johannesburg to rally behind our commitment to social cohesion and to help build a City that is truly transformed, integrated and working towards the same vision.
Issued by
Cllr Nonhlanhla Sifumba
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development
City of Joburg
For media and other enquiries please contact:
Ms Karabo Tledima
Stakeholder Manager: MMC for Community Development
Cell: 061 794 3819
Tel: 011 407 7208
Email: Karabot@joburg.org.za
