The South African Book Fair takes place in Cape Town this weekend daily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Derryn and Regina will be launching their new book titled Living in South Africa. Derryn will also be doing presentations at the show about how to publish a best-selling book. On Saturday, there is also a panel discussion titled “The Power of a Positive Story” with Derryn and Brendon Bell-Robert (100 great ideas, celebrating 20 years of Democracy) and Victor (Africa is Open for Business)

Visit Book Fair and p0p by to chat with Derryn and Regina at the Awesome SA Publishers stand P17. The book fair is open to the public and runs all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

We have such a rich culture of literature in our country. Here is some trivia about South African literature and books.

• South Africa has two Nobel Literary Prize winners – Nadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee who is said to be the most internationally acclaimed writer South Africa has produced
• After Shakespeare, the South African playwright Athol Fugard is the playwright with the most plays performed in the world
• We must never underestimate the power of books to change the world. Novelist Alan Paton wrote Cry, The Beloved Country. This is perhaps the most famous novel to come out of South Africa, Paton’s 1948 work brought to the notice of the world the dilemmas of ordinary South Africans living under the oppressive system of apartheid.
• The Founding father of black literature in South Africa was Sol Plaatje who documented the culture, heritage and history of our people. He is followed by other literary greats such as Zakes Mda, (who won the Commonwealth Prize) and Lewis Nkosi and Njabulo Ndebele
• John van de Ruit is the best-selling South African author of all time for his novel – Spud which has sold over 500 000 copies

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela So let’s start reading and change the world.