The conversation about decolonising South Africa's literary landscape has been ongoing due to the lack of demographic representation which mirrors society.
702/CapeTalk's Redi Tlhabi spoke to novelist, Thando Mgqolozana, about the inaugural Khayelitsha Book Fair as well as what inspired him to pursue this project.
Listen to the conversation below:
I see no reason for us to beg to be intergrated into this system. We need a new thing that is not framed by concepts of colonialism.
— Thando Mgqolozana, novelist
Now that we have democracy, that has not changed. People are still excluded in the same way that they previously were by the system.
— Thando Mgqolozana, novelist
The reason why I came to that decision is realisaing that change is not taking place, and where some change is taking place, it is not enough.
— Thando Mgqolozana, novelist
I don't see why for the last seven years, we have been begging to be integrated into this space. It's like asking to be put nicely into a fire. We have to leave, we have to go.
— Thando Mgqolozana, novelist
Decolonisation means you have to undo the whole thing, the whole framework of the system.
— Thando Mgqolozana, novelist
