A journey through contemporary Italian, African and postcolonial literature
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pretoria is delighted to announce the visit of Ubah Cristina Ali Farah to South Africa as part of the Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo 2026.
Somali-Italian writer and poet, born in Verona and raised in Mogadishu, Ubah Cristina Ali Farah is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Italian and postcolonial literature. Writing across languages, cultures and continents, her work explores themes of memory, displacement, identity and belonging, while reflecting on the complex relationships between Africa and Europe and the legacies of colonialism.
She is the author of three novels: Madre piccola (2007), Il comandante del fiume (2014) and Le stazioni della luna (2021). Her work has received numerous awards, including the Premio Lingua Madre in 2006 and the Premio Vittorini in 2008. She was also a writer-in-residence at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), making her return to South Africa an especially meaningful opportunity to engage with audiences on the African continent.
A week of literature across South Africa
Over the course of one week, Ubah Cristina Ali Farah will travel to Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town, taking part in a series of literary events, seminars and conversations at universities, cultural institutions and literary venues.
Her programme will offer audiences the opportunity to discover her writing and explore the broader context of contemporary Italian, African and postcolonial literature, with particular attention to questions of language, migration, memory, identity and cultural belonging.
Programme
8–10 October | Poetry Africa
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah will participate in Poetry Africa, the annual international poetry festival celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The festival will coincide with the World Slam Poetry Competition and Convention, bringing together poets and poetry lovers from South Africa and around the world.
More info at https://poetryafrica.ukzn.ac.za/
11 October | 15:00 | Literary Cocktail
Società Dante Alighieri, Johannesburg
A conversation with Ubah Cristina Ali Farah, Raphael D’Abdon, writer and poet based in Pretoria, and Duduzile Ndlovu, poet and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Johannesburg.
12 October | 10:30 | Seminar
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg
A seminar exploring Ubah Cristina Ali Farah’s literary work and her engagement with questions of language, memory, identity and belonging within the context of contemporary Italian, African and postcolonial literature.
Bookings: anita.virga@wits.ac.za
13 October | 17:30 | Literary Cocktail
Cape Town Club, Cape Town
A literary conversation with Ubah Cristina Ali Farah and Prof. Mara Boccaccio (UCT), exploring her work and the intersections between Italian and African literary traditions.
Bookings: Literary Cocktail with Ubah Cristina Ali Farah
14 October | 10:00 | Seminar
University of Cape Town (UCT), Cape Town
A further opportunity to meet Ubah Cristina Ali Farah and explore her work in the academic and literary context of contemporary Italian, African and postcolonial literature.
The seminar is organised by Prof. Mara Boccaccio.
Bookings: mara.boccaccio@uct.ac.za
The visit of Ubah Cristina Ali Farah offers a unique opportunity to encounter one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Italian and postcolonial literature and to reflect on the connections between Italy and Africa, literature and identity, language and belonging.
We warmly invite students, academics, writers, readers and everyone interested in Italian, African and postcolonial literature to join us throughout this special programme.
All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.