Morton at Cape Town Book Fair
One of the successes of the Cape Town Book Fair which came to an end on Tuesday was an indication that more Muslims were reading. So says Voice of the Cape Drivetime presenter, Shafiq Morton, whose first book Notebooks from Makkah was sold out within the first two days of the fair. "The response was fantastic. The book was sold from two stands and at the one, all the copies were sold out by the second day. And the buyers came from different backgrounds," Morton reported on Wednesday.
Another highlight for him was the interest shown by an international publisher in distributing the book in the United Kingdom and India. "That is a big break because it means that for India alone, the book would gain exposure among an audience of 120 million." Asked what the exposure at the book fair had meant to him, Morton said: "It provided an opportunity to develop an identity as a South African author at what organisers have called the biggest book fair in Africa."
At the end of the four day event on Tuesday, organisers said the number of visitors to the Cape Town Book Fair doubled in its second year. More than 49,000 visitors attended the fair at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, up from 26,000 in 2006, its inaugural year. Irish novelist Marian Keyes and the South African lawyer that defended Nelson Mandela at his treason trial, George Bizos, were among the authors promoting their works at the fair who drew large audiences. But so too were Muslim authors like Imraan Coovadia, Rayda Jacobs, Na'eema B Robert, Shafinaaz Hassim, Gabeba Badroodien and Ahmed Kathrada.
The book fair attracted more than 200 authors and 354 exhibitors from countries including the United States, Ghana, Germany, India, China and France. Cape Town Book Fair is a joint venture between the Publisher's Association of South Africa and the Frankfurt Book Fair, in association with the Sunday Times newspaper.
But what was of particular interest to VOC listeners was the large number of books by Muslim authors that were featured and which in turn attracted a large number of Muslim readers. "That gives one great hope that more and more Muslims were reading. At the same time, the fair also showed how much of interest there is in Islam," Morton said.
On Sunday Morton acted as moderator for a discussion between award winning authors Rayda Jacobs and Imraan Coovadia on Islam, South Africa and Novel Writing. "There was an immense response. We had some 120 people inside the venue with more people outside trying to get in and most of the audience were non-Muslims. It shows us that South Africans were interested in Islam and the fact that Muslim writers were reflecting their community as real people and not cardboard figures. What also struck me in this session was that there were lots of moments of comedy, as if people had not expected Muslims to laugh at themselves. That was a refreshing experience."
Following the success of his first book, Morton said he was now under increasing pressure to complete the remaining chapters of his second book, "Surfing Behind the Wall, Travels in Palestine."
VOICE OF THE CAPE www.vocfm.co.za
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What people say about
"Notebooks from
Makkah and Madinah"
"An evocative history
of the two Holy
Cities, beautifully interwoven with the
author's own personal journey, a
compelling read."
Rayda Jacobs, Herman Charles
Bosman and Sunday Times Fiction
Award Winner 2003.
"A fascinating journey into the
Middle East
and Islam's heartland."
Yazeed Kamaldien, Cape Times.
"This is an important work ... eloquent and
entertaining, it will have a broad appeal..."
Maulana Ahmad Mukadam, Rector of the
International Peace University of
South Africa
"This book is a major contribution"
Shaikh Seraj Hendricks, former chair of
the Muslim Judicial Council Fatwa
Committee, Cape Town, South Africa.
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