In celebration of Human Rights Day, Wednesday’s Time of the Writer sessions took place under the banner of “Human Writes”. The host for the evening was Lebo Mashile, who commented on how participants Chris Abani and Ronnie Kasrils share an interest in social justice, and use writing as a “tool, a weapon, a form of healing”.
Kasrils spoke about his memory of Sharpeville Day, which he said compelled him to give up his job as a budding scriptwriter and come to Durban, where he met his future wife, Eleanor, the subject of his award-winning book The Unlikely Secret Agent. Kasrils read an excerpt from the book, which described the shocking violence that Eleanor witnessed when arrested by the Special Branch under the Sabotage Act, and sent to Fort Napier, a hospital for the “criminally insane”. Kasrils noted that Eleanor, despite being physically small, found the emotional strength to face torture and survive. Kasrils said that it was through writing The Unlikely Secret Agent that he came to realise just how tough women are.
