124 Authors and artists celebrated at Cape Flats Literacy awards in Gordon's Bay

A total of 124 authors and artists from across the country have been recognised and crowned, with 65 locals receiving awards at the Cape Flats Literacy Awards hosted by Shofar Books.

The event took place recently at the Krystal Beach Hotel in Gordon's Bay, which saw authors and their families travel from across the country and as far as Botswana.

Shofar Founder, Director, and publisher, Haroldene Tshienda, told Cape Argus that Western Cape authors and poets showcased their unique writing style and flavour.

According to Tshienda, Professor Quentin Williams from the University of the Western Cape was the keynote speaker and spoke about the importance of writing in our mother tongues, and sharing Cape Flats stories with the world.

“The recipients, friends, and family travelled from across South Africa and Botswana to celebrate these amazing wordsmiths. We crowned 124 literary artists, 65 authors published by Shofar Books, and the rest of the recipients either published their own work or by other publishing houses,” Tshienda explained.

“The artists were amazing and performed heartwarming poetry and songs.”

Tshienda said authors showcased their talents in both vocal and literary form.

School teacher Nashville Blaauw, who is a poet and founding member of Poets Vannie Kaap, performed two poems entitled "Trauma and Ek slaan my oë op na die flatse."

Sharmie Vee, who is a minister and author of I Cancervive,also performed a song at the event. “Thabo Leholo wrote a multi-lingual poem especially for the occasion and performed it with so much power. Peter Daniels, who is originally from Elsies River and now lives in Pretoria, performed Afrikaans poems.

"Donovan January, from Ravensmead, who is a rapper, performed his own songs. Lize Agulhas from Mitchells Plain also embraced us with a beautiful song, Never Give Up.”

The recipients walked away with beautifully crafted trophies.

She explained that the purpose of this annual event was to acknowledge and recognise writers for their work. “We are leaving legacies, and there is no way the government can honour all these amazing storytellers. Hence, Shofar Books took the initiative to partner with individuals, organisations, and companies in order to celebrate these writers. There is enough space for all of us. I believe, together we can achieve so much more,” she added.

Poets Vannie Kaap, won the award for an anthology entitled Krotoa, for Best Collection of Poems by a group.

Taryn Little Viglino, won the award for Best Drama/Play; in the middle is Eleanor Louw, who received an award for Contribution to Literary Arts; and Taryn-lee Bell, received an honoree award, The Dolley Koopman Le Roux Creative Writing Award.

"This one was very special because Taryn-lee is a GBV activist and speaks on behalf of other women who never had the chance to get help or speak out," Tshienda detailed.

Sharmie Vee, won the award for Best Book Published 2025 while Candice-Lynne Warner also won the same award. "We couldn’t choose one title because both books were the publishers' choice award. We can make and break rules as long as we continue to rise and celebrate one another," she added.

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Cape Argus