What's On

Programme

At the heart of the Invitational is the University of Robben Island, not a conventional university, but a conceptual framework inspired by the intellectual life forged on the island under incarceration.

Discover

Operations Notice

Session access is linked to ferry schedules and island capacity. Check travel updates before departure.

The Festival Propeller

The Festival Propeller is the Invitational’s engine of movement and support. It is a small, trusted circle of partners, institutions, funders, and collaborators who help propel the festival forward through shared values, resources, imagination, and care.

Rather than a traditional sponsorship model, the Propeller is a collective framework, bringing together those who believe in the long-term cultural, educational, and ethical importance of the festival. Members of the Propeller contribute in diverse ways: financial support, expertise, platforms, networks, and co-creation.

University of Robben Island (Festival Programme)

During the festival, Robben Island becomes a temporary university where lectures replace keynotes, seminars replace panels, and readings, dialogues, performances, and workshops become shared study.

This framing does not replace the festival form, it deepens it. The University of Robben Island offers a way of thinking about the programme as collective learning: rigorous, open, humane, and rooted in lived history.

  • Lectures instead of keynotes
  • Seminars instead of panels
  • Readings, dialogues, performances, and workshops as shared study

Sessions

News

2026-07-12

Opening Conscience Reading

A ceremonial opening reading that reflects on memory, freedom, and literary resistance.

Genre:
Reading
Author:
Koleka Putuma
Time:
09:30 - 10:45
View Details

2026-07-12

University of Robben Island Seminar

Scholars and authors examine the idea of study as a practice of freedom.

Genre:
Seminar
Author:
Pumla Dineo Gqola
Time:
13:00 - 14:30
View Details

2026-07-13

Freedom Archives Dialogue

A public dialogue on archives, living memory, and contemporary storytelling responsibilities.

Genre:
Dialogue
Author:
Sisonke Msimang
Time:
10:15 - 11:30
View Details

2026-07-13

Young Writers Workshop

A practical workshop for students and early-career writers focused on voice and civic imagination.

Genre:
Workshop
Author:
Abantu Academy Faculty
Time:
14:00 - 16:00
View Details

2026-07-14

Sunset Poetry Performance

A cross-border poetry performance with music and multilingual recitations.

Genre:
Performance
Author:
Pan-African Poetry Collective
Time:
17:30 - 18:30
View Details

2026-07-15

Closing Lecture: Shared Futures

A forward-looking lecture on literature, solidarity, and shared global futures.

Genre:
Lecture
Author:
International Guest Fellows
Time:
11:00 - 12:30
View Details