Literature enthusiasts 
can brace themselves for the 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival, scheduled to take place live at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery in Durban and online from 23 to 28 March 2026.
This was recently announced by the Centre for Creative Arts, a multi-disciplinary cultural hub in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
The festival is an annual meeting place for South Africa’s leading and newly published authors to engage with the public in a vibrant cultural immersion programme where literature is celebrated, showcased and discussed.
The Director of the Centre for Creative Arts, Ismail Mahomed, said there could not be a better meeting ground than Durban – one of two cities on the African continent that enjoy the elevated status of a UNESCO City of Literature.
“The festival is presented both online and as an embodied live event at the KZNSA Gallery, featuring a total of 80 writers in conversation about both their books and the subjects they write about,” said Mahomed.
Balanced festival programme
He said the festival programme is equally balanced, offering conversations about romance as well as a window into writing as a theatre of words.
The programme will include book launches, creative writing workshops, outreach visits by authors to community venues and a dedicated children’s festival programme.
Headlining this year’s festival opening is award-winning author and journalist Fred Khumalo in conversation with esteemed authors and thought leaders Njabulo Ndebele and Antjie Krog.
In a separate event, Khumalo will also be in conversation with Mike Nicol in a celebration of their extensive writing journeys – from the days of Staffrider to covering major news stories and publishing best-selling fiction, producing decades of writing marked by grit, talent and passion.
Festival curator Shafinaaz Hassim said: “The Centre for Creative Arts sets the space for authors and other thought leaders to engage with how literature interrogates the festival theme, Ink-stitutions of Power, through memoir, political writing, fiction and social documentation that carries history and shapes the future of thought.”
Popular commentator Ebrahim Fakir will take an in-depth look at how state capture through political and government corruption has eroded progress in South Africa, in a conversation with investigative journalists Micah Reddy and Jeff Wicks, and Member of Parliament-turned-author Andile Mngxitama.
Political analyst Angelo Fick will moderate a discussion with academics and writers Imraan Buccus, Marzia Milazzo and Hlonipha Mokoena on the impact of colonisation on race relations and how it continues to influence the political arena.
The festival schedule can be viewed at https://tow.ukzn.ac.za/29th-online/, while online events are free.
The 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival is supported by the UKZN, National Arts Council of South Africa and the KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
For more information, visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za
Email: cca@ukzn.ac.za | Call: 031 260 2506 / 031 260 1816
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