Uma is Professor of History at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town. She is the author/editor of four books: Not Slave, Not Free (1992), From Canefields to Freedom: a Chronicle of Indian South African Life (2000) and Sita: The Memoirs of Sita Gandhi (2003)

Amitav Ghosh has been a journalist and has written ‘The Circle of Reason' & ‘The Shadow Lines'. He currently lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University

RELATED LINKS: Jazz wind blows through Zoo Lake IT'S almost September, which means it's almost Arts Alive time. And this year there are some stellar performers lined up for the Jazz at the Lake concert. Read more Jozi welcomes spring with Arts Alive A HOST of artists have signed up for this year's Arts Alive festival, from international dance DJs to hip-hop poets to Indian jazz masters. Read more Bringing the World to Joburg's Backyard… NEWTOWN, Johannesburg is set to come alive with the sounds and sights of the annual Arts Alive September Festival, which boasts an array of compelling artistic offerings for Joburg residents to indulge in. Read more

Born in Durban, Imraan Coovadia currently resides in New York, where he is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at Adelphi University

Vikas Swarup is an Indian diplomat whose debut novel, Q and A won South Africa's Boeke Prize 2006

Indian flavour adds extra spice This year Arts Alive brings a familiar, yet interesting taste to its popular bill of entertainment – the sights and sounds of India. August 16, 2007 By Emily Visser THE colour and spice, dance and drama of South Africa's Indian heritage will be featured at Arts Alive this year in The Shared History Festival – India in South Africa. The nine-week festival kicks off on 23 August, running until 31 October. Aimed at giving a full perspective on Indian culture, the programme includes contemporary Indian music, theatre, dance, food, film, literature and craft displays. Consul-general of India, Navdeep Suri, said it aimed to bring a kaleidoscope of contemporary Indian culture to mainstream South African audiences. It starts with a literary bent, with Words on Water on Thursday, 23 August at the Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand, at 5.30pm. Amitav Ghosh, described as one of the finest Indian prose writers of his generation to write in English, will converse with Achmat Dangor, Pamila Gupta and Xolela Mangcu. Discussions will centre on issues and themes in his literary works and specific issues related to South Africa. The rest of the literary festival takes place at Wits's Wiser offices and at Exclusive Books in Hyde Park until 28 August. Seven Indian writers and translators, among them Amitav Ghosh, Vikas Swarup and Imraan Coovadia, will be in conversation with their South African counterparts, including Liz McGregor, Gerrit Olivier and Gandhi's granddaughter, Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie. Images of Truth, an insight into the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, is a series of visual images set to contemporary world music portraying the universal message Discussions will touch on a variety of topics - sex and sexuality, consumerism and popular fiction, among others. Music and dance The popular world music band, Mrigaya, and the ghatam or clay pot musician, Vikku Vinayak Ram, fill the music score. Mrigaya's rich timbre, mixing classical Indian music with blues and jazz, will be heard at Bassline and Museum Africa on 1 September and at the ever-popular Jazz at the Lake on 2 September. The band's last performance will be on 8 September in Lenasia. But the musicians will also visit Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Ram only has one performance lined up for Johannesburg - at Bassline on 28 September. Originally from France, Gilles Chuyen is a recognised Indian dance expert who will hold dance workshops from 20 to 30 August in collaboration with local dancers and dance schools in Lenasia. Chuyen will also host single performances on 23 and 31 August and 2 September. Jewellery and craft For those with an eye for the exotic, the Threads in Time exhibition at Museum Africa should not be missed. The exhibition will feature textiles, jewellery and crafts illustrating India's opulent history. There will also be block printing, weaving and bangle making demonstrations by weavers and craftsmen. World-renowned Indian food will be featured at a food festival at Le Canard Restaurant, where chefs from India will prepare Kashmiri, Tamil Nadu and other regional food. The food festival lasts a week, from 30 August to 7 September. Other entertainment includes a film festival with 20 award-winning films; documentary films on Indian culture and history; a retrospective on actress Shamila Tagore; and theatre and puppetry. Most of these events will take place at Museum Africa from 1 September. For more programme information, visit the Arts Alive website, the Shared History website, or the India in South Africa website. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za