Pagecast at OBF 2026: Faraaz Mahomed and Alma-Nalisha Cele in conversation

Loading player...
Kicking off Sunday at Open Book Festival 2026, Faraaz Mahomed joins Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele in the Pagecast studio.

Faraaz is a researcher in the field of mental health and human rights, based between New York and his native South Africa. His short stories and travel writing have appeared in Granta, Boston Review, The Georgia Review, The Sunday Times, and other publications. In 2016, he won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the African region with his story “The Pigeon”. His latest work is Motherland.

Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele is a doctor, literary curator, and co-founder of The Cheeky Natives, a literary podcast focused on the review, curation and archiving of Black literature.

#Pagecast #FaraazMahomed #ThePigeon #CommonwealthShortStoryPrize #OpenBookFestival
6 Sep English South Africa Books · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok by Steven Kitshoff (with Nick Mallett)

"There was a job to be done." Legendary Springbok coach Nick Mallett sits down with former Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff for a rich, generous conversation on his new memoir Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok. They unpack the origins of the Bomb Squad — the name that came from a…
23 Sep 29 min

The South African Cookbook by Nokx Majozi (with Zola Nene)

"An opportunity to hold and be held." This one is a joy from start to finish. Chef, food stylist and best-selling cookbook author Zola Nene sits down with Chef Nokx Majozi for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like two sisters at the kitchen table. Together…
14 Sep 36 min

Pagecast at OBF 2026: Athi-Patra Ruga and Lethogonolo Mokogroane in conversation

For the final episode of Pagecast at the 2026 Open Book Festival, Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane is joined by Athi-Patra Ruga. Athi-Patra Ruga is a South African multidisciplinary artist whose work explores archives, spirituality, colonial histories and speculative world-building across performance, film, tapestry, sculpture and installation. He is also the co-founder of…
6 Sep 11 min

Pagecast at OBF 2026: Natalie Sifuma and Alma-Nalisha Cele in conversation

Natalie Sifuma is a Kenyan writer, researcher, and consultant currently based in Cape Town. She is the founder of Sisters in Climate — a Pan-African climate initiative — and is completing an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, with a focus on social impact, climate, and…
6 Sep 11 min

Pagecast at OBF 2026: Sahra Noor and Lethogonolo Mokogroane in conversation

On this installment of Pagecast at the 2026 Open Book Festival studio, Lethogonolo Mokogroane is joined by Sahra Noor. Sahra is a Somali-American writer whose work explores belonging, migration, and the complicated work of building a life across cultures. Alongside her writing, she works in global health, supporting efforts to…
6 Sep 16 min