Word Fest 2026 will bring writers, poets, academics, performers, and other literary voices to Makhanda, South Africa, from September 18 to 19. The two-day festival will take place at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, with a programme spanning literary conversations, poetry, performances, exhibitions, workshops, and creative demonstrations by school learners. Organised in partnership with Rhodes University and the Institute for the Study of the Englishes of Africa (ISEA), the festival continues Word Fest’s return after a hiatus following the death of its founder, South African poet Chris Mann.

The programme brings together established and emerging voices in South African literary and cultural life. Friday’s sessions include conversations with Shubnum Khan on The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil, Sam Montši on Defying Barriers, and Mia Arderne on How to Stop Being a Naai, alongside poetry by Sheldan Dolf and discussions on Soweto’s theatre of resistance, justice, grief, and new writing. Saturday features Bronwyn Law-Viljoen, Sam Mathe, Zubayr Charles, Annemarie van Niekerk, Mphuthumi Ntabeni, and others, with sessions exploring literature, history, memoir, poetry, and South African cultural memory.

Founded in 1999 at Rhodes University’s Institute for the Study of English in Africa, Word Fest became a gathering point for writers and poets from South Africa and beyond before its hiatus. Its return in 2025 marked the festival’s revival in Makhanda, and this year’s programme continues that renewed presence while foregrounding African perspectives and new literary voices. All sessions at Word Fest 2026 are free and open to the public, with the festival running at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature on September 18 and 19.

Author