There are moments in a nation’s cultural life when a single idea begins to shape the destiny of its stories. Twenty years ago, in the heat of South Africa’s democratic awakening, such an idea took root: a vision to honour, elevate, and preserve the voices that carried the intellectual and emotional memory of a people. That idea became the South African Literary Awards (SALA).
At the centre of this movement stands Morakabe Seakhoa – writer, cultural activist, literary organiser and one of the continent’s quiet but formidable architects of the word. For many decades, Morakabe, affectionately known as Raks, has marched through the trenches of cultural policy, artistic advocacy, and literary nation-building, ensuring that African writers – across genres, languages, and generations – are not forgotten, overlooked, or silenced.
This conversation is more than an interview. It is a journey into the heart of an institution that has shaped African literature; a reflection on legacy, resilience and cultural sovereignty; and an invitation to witness how African stories continue to rise, insistently and magnificently, through the dedication of those like Raks who believe that a nation without literature is a nation without a soul.
I had the honour this week to interview Raks for my multiplier channels – namely, Jambo Africa Online news portal, 101.9 Chai FM and my YouTube platform.
Saul Molobi (SM): Comrade Raks, welcome to Jambo Africa Online. As SALA celebrates 20 years, take us back to the genesis of this vision. How did this remarkable journey begin?
Raks Seakhoa: Thank you, Comrade Saul, and thank you to your readers and viewers. The 20-year journey of SALA has been extraordinary – exciting, challenging, and deeply rewarding. But it’s important to clarify something upfront: SALA didn’t begin in 2005; it was born years earlier in the literary trenches.
The spark came while I was still at the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW), first as Regional Coordinator and later as Secretary-General. Those were years of intellectual activism and cultural nation-building. During that period, I saw firsthand the hunger for recognition among writers – especially those writing in African languages and those working outside the mainstream publishing circuits.
By 1999–2000, the idea had become urgent. Our democracy was young, yet our literary giants —many of whom had shaped the liberation struggle — were fading without the honour they deserved. That was unacceptable.
So, we began knocking on doors. We wrote proposals. We hosted discussions. We sought supporters. It was a long road. It took visionaries like Ms Nelly Mosiane, Professor Itumeleng Mosala, and Comrade Pallo Jordan – then Edcon Group’s Group Executive: Transformation, Director General and Minister of Arts and Culture, respectively – to recognise the need for a national literature award that cut across languages, genres, and generations.
When they came on board, the idea finally took shape.
But I must emphasise: this was never a one-person project. My late wife, Sindiswa – my comrade in arms and business partner – was central to this dream. Her intellectual fire, her organisational talent, her passion for African literature… She remains a co-founder in spirit.
Other enabling and crucial cogs in the wheel that’s SALA include our Advisory Board and Executive Management that have helped steer the institution in exciting but uncharted waters.
So SALA’s 20 years represent decades of collective dreaming.
SM: Many cultural workers remember Sindi with great admiration. Beyond the founding years, what have been some of the most defining moments for SALA?
Raks: There are several defining milestones, but a few stand out with deep emotional resonance.
First, launching SALA with Professor Mazisi Kunene as the inaugural Poet Laureate. Bringing him forward was more than symbolic – it was a statement of cultural sovereignty. Here was a giant of isiZulu epic poetry, a global intellectual, a freedom fighter of the word. To honour him was to award and celebrate the entire tradition of African literary excellence.
Second, the support from artists, intellectuals, and activists who embraced SALA from day one. Mme Mathabo Kunene helped secure the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre for our launch. The chief artist was the late legend, Ms Suthukazi Arosi, whose spiritual voice guided the ceremony. Our MC was the ever-subversive and brilliant Dr Gcina Mhlophe… These formations reflected the unity of our literary community.
Third, convincing the late Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer to have the short story award named after her. She resisted initially – true to her uncompromising nature – but once she agreed, it strengthened SALA’s standing globally.
Fourth, expanding SALA’s categories each year – children’s literature, youth literature, creative non-fiction, and lifetime achievement literary award, first-time published author literary award – ensured no sector of our literary heritage was left behind.
These are not just highlights; they are building blocks of a living cultural institution.
SM: SALA is closely linked to the Africa Century International African Writers Conference. How does this project complement the awards?
Raks: The two programmes are distinct, but their missions interlock.
In 2012, when the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) celebrated 100 years, we realised something: although the OAU had declared 7 November as International African Writers Day back in 1991, Africa still lacked a platform that gave the day the Continental gravitas it deserved.
So we created the Africa Century International African Writers Conference, intentionally named to reflect the African Renaissance discourse and the declaration of the African Century.
The purpose was simple: to create a Pan-African intellectual home where writers, scholars, and cultural workers could reflect on the state and future of African literature.
Since then, we have hosted some of the finest African minds:
• President Thabo Mbeki (inaugural International African Writers Day Lecture)
• Samia Nkrumah
• The late Prof Micere Mugo and ex-Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa
• Professors Wangui wa Goro, Wally Mongane Serote, Mandla Makhanya, Zodwa Motsa, Kwesi Kwaa Prah, Puleng LenkaBula, Dr Sidiki Mustapha Kaloko
• Scholars from across Africa and the Diaspora
We were honoured and privileged to have discussions with Prof Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who, though he was still to deliver the International African Writers Day Lecture, gave us his blessings and continues to inspire our work.
The Conference and SALA are twin pillars in the architecture of African literary renaissance.
SM: Looking ahead to the 21st anniversary of SALA, what bold steps or innovations can the African literature expect?
Raks: Turning 21 is symbolic – it marks maturity. And we intend to honour that symbolism with ambition.
We aim to make the next SALA and the Africa Century Conference continental literary meccas. From 2026 onward, we plan to explore:
• Expanding the Awards to include writers from neighbouring countries with linguistic and cultural affinities: Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
• Strengthen collaborations with literary institutions across Africa and the Diaspora.
• Deepen digital access – live streaming, digital archives, open public conversations.
• Introduce new categories that speak to contemporary forms: graphic novels, digital storytelling, audio literature, and translations.
For the Africa Century Conference, our vision is clear: to become Africa’s premier intellectual festival of writers and thinkers.
We want the conference to be a space where African literature, history, innovation, and cultural politics converse with the world.
SM: Who are the institutional partners that have strengthened SALA over the years?
Raks: We have had unwavering support from the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) since 2005. More recently, the City of Johannesburg Library and Information Services and the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Department of Sports, Culture and Recreation have joined our ecosystem.
These institutions provide critical infrastructure, resources, and platforms that help SALA remain sustainable and visionary.
SM: For writers who want to submit their work or get involved, what is the process?
Raks: We will soon release:
• The Call for SALA Submissions
• The Call for Papers for the Africa Century Conference
Writers, scholars, and publishers can visit our websites:
• www.africacenturyconference.co.za
We encourage submissions across languages, ages, genres, and platforms. Africa’s literary future is textured by diversity – we welcome it.
SM: For me, SALA’s 20-year journey is a story of cultural activism, institutional visionary work, intellectual courage, and devotion to African literary excellence. As SALA approaches its 21st anniversary, its mission remains unwavering: to honour, preserve, and amplify African voices.
Raks: Thank you, Comrade Saul. Thank you to your readers and listeners. Our journey continues – and we walk it together.”
Conclusion
As our conversation winds down, it becomes clear that SALA is more than an annual ceremony – it is a cultural inheritance, a living archive, and a declaration that African voices matter. Guided by Morakabe Raks Seakhoa’s unwavering devotion and sustained by an ecosystem of partners, writers, thinkers, and visionaries, the South African Literary Awards have become a beacon of literary dignity on the Continent.
The next chapter, as SALA approaches its 21st year, promises expansion, continental collaboration and a renewed commitment to honouring the custodians of African stories. It is a reminder that every writer – emerging or established – carries a fragment of our collective memory. And as long as institutions like SALA exist, those memories will not fade.
In celebrating Raks and the movement he helped build, we celebrate the resilience of African literature itself – ever evolving, ever resisting erasure, ever illuminating the world through the power of its truth.