Die Tuishuise
Historic Karoo Cottages, Cradock, South Africa
Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival Cradock
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Olive Schreiner Festival
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Picture courtesy of NELM
Grahamstown
celebrates the arts in South Africa once a year – and now Cradock,
another key Eastern Cape town, has its own festival devoted to the lives
and output of Karoo writers. The country’s newest annual festival, the
Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival, takes place in Cradock from July 8 to
10.
The
first outing of the festival, the Spirit of Schreiner Festival, which
celebrated the life and work of the noted late Victorian and Edwardian
writer, social commentator and feminist Olive Schreiner, took place in
Cradock in July 2010. Now the event has been broadened to all Karoo or
Karoo-born writers and has been renamed the Schreiner Karoo Writers
Festival, in honour of Schreiner and other writers from these vast
plains.
A
comprehensive programme has been organised for the 2011 event that
includes talks and discussions by such noted South Africans as
Cradock-born novelist Etienne van Heerden, who will be interviewed on
the Camdeboo connection with his book, 30 Nights in Amsterdam; Olive
Schreiner Prize for prose writer Michael Cawood Green on his book For
The Sake of Silence, Paul Walters and Jeremy Fogg on the relationship
between Olive and her husband Samuel-Cronwright-Schreiner – who, when
they married in 1894, took his wife’s name - and novelist, poet and
singer Toast Coetzer presenting a Toast to the Karoo.
Nyameka
Goniwe, widow of slain anti-apartheid hero Matthew Goniwe and now the
new mayor of the local municipality, will give a guided tour of
‘her’ Lingelihle, while the Cradock Four will be remembered in a
talk by Judge Chris Nicholson on his book, Permanent Removal: Who Killed
the Cradock Four.
Journalist
and playwright Tony Jackman will present a staged reading, with
professional actors including Lynita Crofford and John Caviggia, of
Bloody England, his play about Schreiner and Cecil John Rhodes.
Festival
founder Darryl Earl David and his co-author Philippe Menache will
discuss their book 101 Country Churches of South Africa, focusing on the
Karoo churches, Chris and Julie Marais will present a Karoo slide show,
Heather Parker Lewis will talk about her book, Olive Schreiner – the
Other Side of the Moon, journalist Sabata Mokae will talk about
Schreiner’s Kimberley, and Chris Thurman will talk about Guy Butler
and Cradock.
There
will also be the relaunch by Penguin Books of Eve Palmer’s Plains of
Camdeboo and Return to Camdeboo. Poetry will be represented by Chris
Mann, who will read his Karoo poems, and Almore Cupido will introduce
Clinton du Plessis’s poetry.
Also
expect relaxing times by the fireside, a Karoo Kraal market day,
traditional Karoo kos at the Victoria Manor Hotel, and plenty of
old-fashioned Karoo hospitality.
The Festival Package Price is R899 per person, which
includes two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Die Tuishuise - visit www.tuishuise.co.za -
lunches and many of the festival activities.
On
the Friday there are two optional day trips; a guided walk to Olive
Schreiner’s remote grave site on Buffelskop AND a day trip to
Graaff-Reinet to visit Cranmere Farm (of The Plains of Camdeboo fame)
and into this lovely old Karoo town, led by Professor Paul Walters of
Rhodes University English Department. The cost of this day tour is R400
including lunch and transport.
Friday
8 July
Optional activities
Walk to Olive Schreiner’s Grave
Trip to Cranmere the setting for Plains of Camdeboo
Evening discussion celebrating Olive Schreiner and the Karoo
07.00-14.00
Schreiner’s Grave
Optional walk up
to Schreiner Grave, which will take approximately 7 hours and requires a
good level of fitness.
The cost of this day tour is
R200 including picnic lunch and transport. Please meet at the Victoria
Manor
08.00-17.00
Cranmere Farm
Optional Day Trip
to Graaff-Reinet to visit Cranemere Farm (of The Plains of Camdeboo
fame) and into this lovely old Karoo town, led by Professor Paul Walters
of Rhodes University English Department.
The cost of this day tour is R400 including
lunch and transport. Please meet at the Victoria Manor
18.00 – 22.00
Celebrating Olive and the Karoo;
featuring well known writers and journalists
Dinner at the
Victoria Manor
Saturday 9 July
Celebrating the Cradock Four
Karoo Kraal Farmers Market
Holy Rosary Convent Conversations
Reading by Tony Jackman “Bloody England”
09.00 – 12.00
Celebrating the
Cradock Four
Celebrating The Cradock Four, featuring Nyameka
Goniwe and Judge Chris Nicholson
No charge, but donations to the Cradock Four
Trust are welcome.
10.00 a.m.
Karoo Kraal Market
No
charge, but do take money to buy wonderful local things from stalls
14.30-16.30
Holy Rosary
Convent Conversations
Venue: Holy Rosary Convent
No charge, but donations to the Church are welcome
18.00-22.00
Professional reading, written by Tony Jackman
"Bloody England", about Olive Schreiner and Cecil John Rhodes
Venue: Victoria
Manor
Sunday 10 July
Walk through Cradock and talks at Schreiner
House Museum
Lunch at Schreiner Tearoom
09.00-12.30
Town tour and talks at Schreiner House Museum
Walk through
Cradock and talks at Schreiner House Museum
No charge, but donations to the Museum are welcome
12.30
Lunch at Schreiner Tearoom
R50 per person
Contact
Die
Tuishuise info@tuishuise.co.za
or
36 Market Street Cradock
5880 Phone +27 (0) 48 8811322 Fax: +27 (0) 48 8815388
e-mail:info@tuishuise.co.za
www.tuishuise.co.za