Zakes Mda a South African-born writer, working as a professor of creative writing at Ohio University, United States of America, , will be visiting the University of Johannesburg (UJ), as part of the University’s One-Book-One-Library project from 4 to11 September 2010.

Zakes Mda is partaking in this project that encourages UJ employees and students to read the same book simultaneously. His latest book, entitled Black Diamond, is the central subject for this year’s One-Book-One-Library project. Mda will conduct discussion sessions regarding the concept of the book at the University’s four campus libraries during his visit.

Hosted by the University’s Library and Information Centre, an evening with the author is scheduled for Wednesday 8 September 2010 at 18:00 at the Madibeng Building, Kingsway Campus, Johannesburg.

“Last year 442 UJ staff and students read Three–letter Plague by Jonny Steinberg over a period of two months and 88 students and staff members participated in discussions of the book in the various Campus Libraries. This year we are aiming to double the number of participants in the project, especially since the selected title, Black Diamond by Zakes Mda, seems to be already a hit with students. In addition to this, the reading period has been extended to three and a half months, from 12 July until 30 October 2010,” says Anette Janse van Vuren, Head: Library and Information Centre, UJ.

In Black Diamond, Zakes Mda tackles every conceivable South African stereotype, skilfully turning it upside down and exposing the ironies, often hilariously. It is a clever, quirky novel that captures the essence of contemporary life in Gauteng and will resonate with all South Africans. Black Diamond is rich in symbols and has been widely acclaimed in the national and international press.

As a prolific novelist, playwright, and filmmaker, Mda has received numerous awards, including the M-Net Book Prize for his monumental novel Ways of Dying, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize for The Heart of Redness. He also received the Zora Neal Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award in 2003.

For more information about the project, contact Anette van Vuren on 011 559 2624 or anettej@uj.ac.za