From 5–7 September 2025, Cape Town will once again transform into a literary hub as the Open Book Festival returns with an electrifying lineup of writers, thinkers, and performers from across Africa and beyond. This year’s program promises bold conversations, powerful performances, and the launch of boundary-pushing books that centre feminist, queer, and Pan-African voices.
The festival welcomes celebrated South African authors including Pumla Dineo Gqola, Siphokazi Jonas, Athambile Masola, and Zibu Sithole, alongside a strong contingent of writers traveling from across the continent, among them Foluso Agbaje, and literary legend Tsitsi Dangarembga.
Highlights of the 2025 Program:
Imaginary | Speaking into Silences: Foluso Agbaje, Pumla Dineo Gqola, Goretti Kyomuhendo and Athambile Masola in conversation with Mbali Sikakane on writing feminist histories and filling the silences of official archives.
Burning Down the House: The launch of a collection exploring feminist understandings of space, with Shakeelah Ismail, Charisse Louw, Mbali Mazibuko, and Simphiwe Rens, moderated by Joy Watson.
Pregnant Expectations: Rebecca Gore, Lebo Mazibuko, and Karen Vermeulen join Joy Watson to discuss unwanted pregnancies, shame, reproductive justice, and access to care.
Book Lounge Feminist Book Club: An interactive gathering led by Noma Tsheleza with Michelle Myeko Kekana, author of The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women.
Up Close with Maneo Mohale: An unmissable conversation with Tsitsi Dangarembga, unpacking the layered worlds of Black girlhood through the iconic Tambudzai and Nyasha trilogy.
Beyond panels and launches, the festival will also host WriterSports 2025, Slam City Showcase, and vibrant discussions that stretch from Pan-Africanism and the Black Atlantic to queer resistance, spirituality, and LGBTQIA+ storytelling.
With its commitment to amplifying diverse voices and igniting radical conversations, the Open Book Festival 2025 promises to be one of the most urgent and celebratory gatherings on the literary calendar. For three days in September, Cape Town becomes the stage for stories that refuse to be silenced.
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