About the Power of Authors Symposium
ANFASA is hosting its fifth annual Power of Authors Symposium. A one-day International Symposium on Wednesday 22 April 2026 at 9:00 am virtually on Zoom.
The symposium is aimed at re-evaluating the contributions made by authors through the ages and re-examining the meaning of authorship and how it can be given its due weight and recognition. Throughout history the author has played the voice of opposition; a source of information, entertainment and wisdom; a record keeper for oral histories of various cultures and a creator of knowledge. Authors have been the bridge to society, and they have existed since ancient times. Authors have the power through their words to educate, heal and illuminate the mind.
The Power of Authors Seminar will ask: What happens to the author when machines learn to write? If AI generates a novel in your style, who owns it? and who is responsible for what it says? When your work is scraped to train a model without your consent, is that inspiration or theft? And in a world of algorithmic text, what does it still mean to be a human author? Generative AI now writes drafts, restructures arguments, summarises research, and even produces full-length novels. For authors whether fiction writers or academics this shift raises urgent questions that go far beyond technology. We will explore these questions through four interconnected lenses: the intellectual authority of the author, the nature of creativity in human-AI collaboration, the ethical frameworks we need, and the legal puzzles of copyright and moral rights that courts and policymakers are only beginning to untangle.
The one-day symposium will feature five sessions, each session is designed to explore the role of authors in society, their contributions, and how they can adapt to modern challenges while continuing to heal, transform, and inspire
Programme Details
Wednesday, 22 April 2026 09:00-13:30
09:00 - 09:10
Opening of the conference and welcoming the attendees.
A brief introduction to the discussion among authors, about authors.
SPEAKER
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane
This programme is subject to change without prior notice.
Speakers
Lorraine Nyamapfene
THE NEW PUBLISHING LANDSCAPE
Lorraine Nyamapfene is an independent publishing professional and academic based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 20 years of experience across the southern African publishing industry. She has held senior roles at Shuter & Shooter Publishers and Longman Zimbabwe, specialising in commissioning, strategic list management, and editorial development. Lorraine recently completed her PhD in Publishing Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (2025), where she also lectured at postgraduate level for nearly six years.
Her doctoral research examined the self-publishing landscape in South Africa, exploring what drives authors to self-publish – from rejection by traditional publishers and the desire for creative control, to financial opportunity and publishing prestige. The study sheds light on the satisfactions and challenges self-published authors face, the variable quality of self-published works, and the critical role of publishing service providers in maintaining standards. Lorraine's research underscores self-publishing's potential to democratise publishing and amplify diverse voices in a market constrained by traditional gatekeeping.
Prof Tanja Sakota
Tanja Sakota is an award‑winning filmmaker, author, artistic researcher, and associate professor whose work integrates creative practice, digital innovation, and accessible filmmaking education. She specializes in practice‑based research and develops filmmaking approaches that enable both filmmaking students and those without prior film training to create compelling stories using high-end digital technologies and smartphones.
Rooted in autoethnography, her research explores how personal narrative, memory, and lived experience illuminate broader cultural and historical questions while advancing technology‑enabled creative methodologies. Her work spans themes of grief, memory, identity, and narrative transformation, emphasizing storytelling as a catalyst for individual and collective reflection.
She is the author of Uncovering Memory: Filming in South Africa, Germany, Poland, and Bosnia/Herzegovina (Wits University Press, 2023), recipient of the Faculty of Humanities Notable Research Award for Monograph Publishing. Her multiple‑award‑winning film Shattered Reflection (2021) examines transgenerational memory through space and place, highlighting her commitment to impactful creative scholarship.
Dr Aimee Viljoen
Dr. Aimee Viljoen is a Senior Lecturer and SAFTA award winner in the department of Communication and Media, juggling roles as Honours Film & TV Coordinator and Third-Year Screen Studies Coordinator.
She swears by Benjamin Franklin’s motto: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Her research dives into audience studies, screen studies, feminist and queer representation, and AI’s role in academia. Whether unpacking binge-watching trends or debating AI in research, Aimee is all about media, meaning, and the magic of the screen.
Prof Beth Le Roux
Professor Beth le Roux is an associate professor in Publishing Studies in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on the history of books and publishing in South Africa and Africa more broadly. She is author of A Social History of the University Presses in Apartheid South Africa (Brill, 2016), A Survey of South African Crime Fiction (with Sam Naidu, UKZN Press, 2017), and Publishing Against Apartheid: A case study of Ravan Press (Cambridge University Press Elements, 2020). She is actively involved with publishing and author networks, and coordinates the annual book industry survey for the Publishers’ Association of South Africa. Before becoming a full-time academic, she worked in the scholarly publishing industry in South Africa
Dawn Shabangu-Rikhotso
THE NEW PUBLISHING LANDSCAPE
Dawn Shabangu-Rikhotso is the CEO of Lingua Franca Publishers, an independent publishing house with over 15 years of proven excellence. Lingua Franca Publishers produces high-quality, curriculum-aligned educational materials, and inclusive children’s literature that reflect Africa’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
A dynamic leader with a unique blend of creative insight and strategic business acumen, Dawn transitioned from a career in engineering and the built environment into publishing with a deeper purpose: to promote literacy, representation, and national socio-economic development through literature.
Passionate about children’s literature and its role in nurturing empathy, imagination, and leadership from a young age, she advocates for stories in which all children can see themselves, feel valued, and be encouraged to dream big. Her contribution extends beyond her organisation.
Dawn currently serves as Deputy Chairperson of the African Publishers Association, Ministerial Appointee to the Legal Deposit Committee, Board Member of the Books and Publishing Content Developer Council, and a Member of the South African National Metadata User Group.
Through her work, Dawn continues to champion a more inclusive, accessible, and transformative publishing industry in South Africa and across the continent.
William Jensa
William Mqondisi Kandlovu Jensa is the founder of Jensa Publishing, an independent house dedicated to producing original African literature and visionary works.
His debut book, Revenge of the Rats, sold more than 6,000 copies and was later adapted into a successful stage play, marking the beginning of his dynamic publishing career. Since then, he has authored a diverse collection of titles including Izimfihlo Zamanzi ama Hlubi: The Birth of Mamlabo, Zano's Quest: Finding the Golden Banana, The Triumph of the Zulu Warrior, Mkabayi Kajama Zulu: The Queen of Kings, and his latest release, United States of Africa: The Road to World War 3.
His books blend cultural heritage, imaginative storytelling, and social commentary, positioning him as both an author and a publisher committed to empowering readers and preserving African authenticity.
Prof Keyan Tomaselli
Professor Keyan Tomaselli is Distinguished Professor at the University of Johannesburg, editor of Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies and co-editor of Journal of African Cinemas.
He is co-editor with Anthony Olorunnisola of Political Economy of Transformation: The South African Media. Hampton Press, 2011.
A member of the Academy of Science for South Africa, he is also Professor Emeritus and a Sometime Fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he was for 29 years the Director of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society.
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane is an academic and astute professional, educator, researcher, communicator, Author and Editor of published books and a protocol in isiZulu Royalty customs and traditions and a Professor of isiZulu Language, Literature and Culture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and one of the most senior and accomplished isiZulu Linguist in the country. His visionary perspective has earned him opportunities to work on local and national strategic positions and as a Leader of the African Renaissance Movement in KwaZulu-Natal since 2002 to date; Zulu Royal Household Trust; DALRO; USiba Writers Association; and also chairs Pan African Writers Society (PAWS).
Dr Kirstin Krauss
Dr Kirstin Krauss is a leading authority and subject matter expert in the field of Generative AI and scientific integrity, with a combined 25+ years of extensive experience in higher education, research, and business.
Kirstin holds a PhD in Informatics, from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, while his entire career consistently focused on ensuring that ethical standards and integrity are observed as the foundation to research relevance and business leadership. Kirstin has taken on several advisory roles in areas related to research capacity building, doctoral programme reviews, research integrity services, education consulting, and Generative AI. While based in Ireland, Kirstin is also a part-time Research Advisor at Worldwide Information Services (WWIS), where he facilitates workshops and services for the WWIS Academy. In prior roles as a Professor at UNISA and Associate Professor at Rhodes University, he focused predominantly on postgraduate student development and supervision capacity building in the Information Systems discipline.
Kirstin has been invited and acknowledged by several associations and universities. These include Ghana Technology University College, Uganda Martyrs University in Kampala, 24th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, British International Studies Association (BISA), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Academic Conferences International (ACI), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and many private and public universities in Southern Africa. Kirstin is a member of the Clarivate Academic AI Working Group
Terry-Ann Adams
Terry-Ann Adams is a 30-something genderqueer, disabled author from Johannesburg.
Terry-Ann (TheyShe) burst onto the scene in 2020 with their debut novel "Those Who Live In Cages," which was longlisted for both the HSS and Sunday Times ZA Literary Awards. Their 2022 short story collection "White Chalk" earned them the HSS Award for Best Fiction Short Stories and the South African Literary Awards Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award in 2023.
Recognised in the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in Arts and Entertainment (2023), Terry-Ann is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Writing at the Wits - University of the Witwatersrand, supported by the prestigious 2024 Chris Van Bursary from Pan Macmillan.
Terry-Ann's work explores intersectional identity in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Hetta Pieterse
Hetta is a Commissioning Editor and Manager (Unisa Press) and has completed an MA in Information Science (UNISA). She is an Editorial Board Member of ANFASA (Non-fiction Authors Association of South Africa). She holds an Honours Degree in English, a Teaching degree (UP), Fine Arts Diploma (UJ) and two Marketing Diplomas (Unisa: International Marketing & The Basics of Business). She has delivered and published conference papers, have co-authored and authored articles and book chapters. She practices fine arts as a printmaker, of monographs and artists' books. She is involved in the Moot Community clean-up project series, where she regularly helps to design and paint large murals on bridges and walls in the Pretoria Moot region – apart from assisting with general cleaning up actions.
Sihle Khumalo
Sihle Khumalo is South Africa's award winning and bestselling author. He has written five books and contributed to two. His books - Almost Sleeping My Way to Timbuktu, and Milk the beloved country - won the 2014 and 2024 South African Literary Award (creative non-fiction category) respectively. He was educated at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) as well as Wits and Stellenbosch Business Schools
This programme is subject to change without prior notice.
The symposium is presented by the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa (ANFASA), in proud association with International Authors Forum (IAF) and the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association (NFFO)
