By Rasvanth Chunylall
On the 6th December 2011, the Literary Tourism Department held its 10th annual end-of-year function. The function was held at Royal Natal Yacht Club which happens to be the oldest Yacht Club in South Africa. The event celebrated the creation of the South Coast Writer’s Trail which features the likes of Daphne Rooke, Mazesi Kunene and Michael Cawood Green to name a few.
The festivities commenced with an address by project leader, Lindy Stiebel. She noted that the next trail will highlight writers of the North Coast. In addition to being the final trail of the project, the North Coast will be a particularly significant trail for her as she was born in the North Coast. Stiebel intends on compiling a Literary Field Guide of KwaZulu-Natal together with Niall McNulty which will feature the links between writers and place, making it an indispensable travel companion for the KZN literary tourist. Special tribute was paid to her team which consists of Niall McNulty, Caitlin Martin and Sbo Dladla. Finally, she thanked all her website contributors and supporters of the project which currently has amassed over a 100 writer profiles.
Sbo Dladla introduced the first performers of the evening. Slam poet, Ricardo, delighted the audience with a slam poetry piece that was “inspired by everything in the environment”. His powerful words were accompanied by the gentle strumming and soulful backup vocals of Phumele.
Caitlin Martin introduced the next performer of the night, award-winning Slam poet, Dashen Naicker. He described his inclusion in the nights festivities as an “honour” since the South Coast has been his home for many years. Naicker’s performance drew on themes surrounding the environment and Cop17 amusing the crowd with gems such as: “I don’t like cops but I like the idea of Cop17.”
The key speaker of the night, Prithiraj ‘Pritz’ Dullay, was introduced by Niall McNulty. Dullay began by emphasizing the environmental concerns highlighted by the previous performers. He questioned whether the scenery depicted on the cover of the South Coast trail would remain in existence for next generations to enjoy. Dullay declined a reading of his memoir, Salt Water Runs in My Veins, instead calling to attention the impending passing of the Secrecy Bill next year. He cautioned that the bill could put an end to functions of this nature that allowed for discussion and engagement. Finally, Dullay affirmed that our democracy was “worth defending” and called on young writers and thinkers to stand up and for everyone to forget the self-destructive idea that they are powerless and unable to make a difference.
The evening concluded with excellent snacks and drinks catered by the Royal Natal Yacht Club.
