At PEN South Africa we focus on the relationship between freedom and expression, believing that the one cannot exist fully without the other. We understand freedom of expression as the right to be able to write, think and exchange ideas,… Written by Yewande Omotoso I remember being about 15, I was in high school and we had to do the Special Author Project. I chose Toni Morrison as my author. I’d initially chosen Mariama Ba and her beautiful work ‘So… Throughout her illustrious career as a journalist, author and activist, Zubeida Jaffer has never shied away from standing up against systems that do not serve the greater good. She is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and Rhodes… Written by Nadia Krige | Featured image by Andrea Stalbom Educational institutions without libraries, these days especially – as hubs offering access to essential internet services for research purposes – are almost unthinkable. This was however until recent years the… On the eve of Women’s Day 2019, PEN South Africa is issuing a statement condemning in the strongest terms the recent sentencing of prominent Ugandan academic, feminist and LGBTI+ campaigner, Dr. Stella Nyanzi to 18 months in prison. She was found… In celebration of Women’s Day, PEN SA is proud to profile three of South Africa’s most vibrant women publishers. Alison Lowry, Thabiso Mahlape and Zukiswa Wanner have each made a unique and valuable contribution to the local publishing industry. In… It has been less than two months since South Africa held its sixth general elections on the 8th of May 2019 and Ramaphoria – a tongue-in-cheek term coined to describe the hope and euphoria felt by some South Africans following… To mark World Refugee Day (20 June), PEN centres around the world have published pieces highlighting the experience of writers in exile. PEN SA board member, Sisonke Msimang, has contributed a beautiful piece – first published by NZ Herald on… 
SA News / 11 Aug 2019
They walked together
International News / 07 Aug 2019
A tribute to Toni Morrison
Literature / 07 Aug 2019
Zubeida Jaffer on imprisonment, censorship and women claiming their stories
Literature / 07 Aug 2019
Zonnebloem library nurtures culture of reading and respect
PEN SA Statements / 06 Aug 2019
PEN South Africa condemns sentencing of Dr Stella Nyanzi
Literature / 06 Aug 2019
Celebrating SA’s vibrant women publishers
SA News / 02 Jul 2019
Post-election: online hate speech on the rise in SA
SA News / 02 Jul 2019
Every refugee is an exile, Sisonke Msimang
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`Thank you for visiting the PEN SOUTH AFRICA website. Our Center is currently on a hiatus but please do have a look at the work we do around promoting South African literacy and literature and defending freedom and expression locally and globally. We hope, funding permitting, to re-open in 2020. Until then, our board will remain operational and we will continue to accept membership applications.`
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