Minister Anroux Marais is proud to congratulate South African author and Cape Town resident, Damon Galgut, on winning the revered Booker Prize for his novel, “The Promise”.
Esteemed as the world’s most prestigious literary awards, the Booker Prize was bestowed on Damon Galgut for his compelling depiction of a white family in post-apartheid South Africa at the award ceremony held in London yesterday.
Minister Marais said, “We are exceptionally proud to see our local authors performing well on the world stage and receiving international literary awards for sharing unique South African stories. Shortlisted twice before, Galgut has now officially been recognized as a world class novelist and playwright and showcased our intangible cultural heritage through The Promise. Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of maintaining cultural diversity. For expressing this intangible heritage in the tangible novel, that is The Promise, now shared across the globe, we wholeheartedly thank Galgut for creating new narratives and meaning which is key to fostering social inclusion, intercultural dialogue and encourages mutual respect and nation building”.
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport is committed to supporting and encouraging aspiring writers to promote creativity and original works unique to the Western Cape and South Africa at large. In this way, we increase appreciation of and respect for cultural expressions as showcased by our local artists.
Stacy McLean
Spokesperson for the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais
083 504 1171