Book Launch

Durban Meets London
Ashwin Singh
Get Direction

This is a unique book launch because it is an eclectic combination of intellectual property having an Indian, African and British influence.

Award winning playwright Ashwin Singh will launch his second anthology of plays , Durban Dialogues , Then and Now , whilst also referencing his first anthology , Durban Dialogues , Indian Voice , a book having received widespread critical acclaim and currently being studied in universities in South Africa , India , Canada & Europe .

Singh’s plays focus primarily on the Durban Indian community, with his main thematic explorations being identity constructions and culture conflicts. His works have made substantial impact in India , both in theatre and academia , with renowned Gujarat scholar , Prof .Pranav Joshipura having presented papers on the plays at conferences in Durban and Brussels and scheduling another conference in Gujarat in 2018.

The British influence is two-fold; Singh has been significantly influenced by British authors and his publisher is the ground-breaking London Company, Aurora Metro Books. The Company’s dynamic founder, Cheryl Robson will be a keynote speaker at the event.

Singh will perform a dramatic monologue from his play Shooting and also showcase excerpts on screen from his acclaimed Durban Playhouse productions.

Speakers:

Shantal Singh (Programme Director) is a clinical psychologist with fifteen years’ experience in the field. She has been a manager of her department at both Addington Hospital in Durban and Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg for a period of seven years, and has recently branched out into private practice. She has supervisory experience and has lectured to both undergraduate and post-graduate students in the field at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Cheryl Robson (Publisher and Presenter), is an award-winning playwright and editor, and has been nominated for her work as a translator and film-maker. She attended Bristol University before joining the BBC where she was involved in film and television production for several years. As a playwright, she won the Croydon Warehouse International Festival for her play ‘The Taking of Liberty’ and had several stage plays produced in London. She went on to establish a theatre company and introduced the work of Dada Maraini, Nawal el Saadawi and Marina Carr to British stages.

Ashwin Singh (Author, Presenter and Performer) is an attorney, academic, playwright, director and actor. His plays have received national and international exposure, with To House, Spice ‘n Stuff, Shooting, Beyond the Big Bangs, Reoca Light and Marital Blitz being the most prominent. His first anthology of plays, Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice was published in 2013 by London-based Aurora Metro Books. The book is being studied and/or referenced at a variety of universities in South Africa, India, Canada and Europe. His second anthology, Durban Dialogues, Then and Now was also published by Aurora Metro Books in October 2017.