A new initiative of having a “Living Library” will be part of this year’s Durban International Book Fair.

The fair, run as a non-profit organisation, is dedicated to the promotion of literature and a reading culture in Africa’s only UNESCO city of literature and will take place from Wednesday to Sunday August 9 to 13 at the Globe, Suncoast.

The Living Library will allow attendees to “check out” walking talking books.

“It is a library of human experiences, where readers can engage in one-on-one conversations with ‘living books’, who act as storytellers and share their personal narratives.

“Each ‘living book’ will be available for a scheduled conversation, during which readers can engage in an open and respectful dialogue, ask questions, and learn from the book's unique life experiences,” said Anivesh Singh, co-founder of the Durban International Book Fair.

He said allowing attendees to engage with living books provided opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives, cultures, and life journeys.

“Now more than ever, we need to learn from the experiences of others, seek advice from those that have been through it, and be exposed to individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities. The Living Library aims to challenge stereotypes and breakdown prejudices. It will play an important role in social cohesion,” he said.

Mr Singh said there were people who had stories to tell that may never make it into a book, but that their stories were equally important.

Thus far, the line-up of “living libraries” include Dr Phindile Dlamini, the head of UKZN Press; domestic violence survivor and motivational speaker Tina Mbili; communications expert Indu Moodley and multimedia journalist Zainul Aberdeen.

Mr Singh has called for more “living libraries” to make themselves available to be “bestsellers” at the #DIBF2023.

“We are making an appeal to individuals, who want to share their stories by acting as living books at #DIBF2023 to make contact. These living books, like all other books, will educate, inform and definitely entertain their readers,” added Mr Singh.

A stellar array of writers and artists from across the continent and the world are expected to participate in this year’s book fair, with writers, creatives, exhibitors, researchers, schools, NGOs, government agencies as well as everyday South Africans expected to attend the five-day event.

The host, the Durban Book Fair NPO, has launched more than 480 new books over four years despite the Covid-19 interruption.

This year’s theme “The book & beyond" will allow attendees to explore and understand the literary world like never before.

The fair is hosted in partnership with, among others, the eThekwini Municipality, Tsogo Sun, Micromega Publications, UKZN Press, Independent Media and the South African Department of Arts and Culture.

For more information and to serve as a living book, contact Mr Anivesh Singh on director@durbanbookfair.co.za

The full programme can be downloaded from www.durbanbookfair.co.za

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Check out a ‘living book’ at this year’s Durban Book Fair