South Africa removed from international festival after disqualifying Chidimma Adetshina.
Puebla International Literature Festival (PILF) has removed South Africa as the “Country in Focus” at the 2024 edition of the festival. This they said was due to the manner in which it handled the controversy surrounding the nationality of Chidimma Adetshina, a contestant in this year’s Miss South Africa pageant.
The Puebla International Literature Festival (PILF),was founded in 2024 by the Africa Center Mexico, as an annual event that celebrates literature and promotes cultural exchange across Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
The festival was originally set to feature South Africa as the “Country in Focus” during it first edition from October 4 to 6 in Puebla, Mexico, spotlighting the nation’s rich literary tradition.
The festival organizers however announced the withdrawal of South Africa’s designation as the “Country in Focus” on Thursday in a statement and cancelled the invitations extended to South African guests.
The decision was in response to the festival’s director, Ikenna Okeh, speech which he described as the “victimization of Chidimma Adetshina, her family, and members of the immigrant communities in South Africa,” which he said runs counter to the festival’s principles.
“We regret to announce the decision to rescind South Africa’s designation as the Country-in-Focus for this year’s festival, and to rescind the invitation of our South African guests,” the statement reads. “This decision has been made after careful consideration of recent developments that have deeply troubled the African community.”
The festival director expressed his dissatisfaction over the situation in South Africa, where, he claimed, “the apparatuses of the state, coupled with the troubling silence of many within the cultural sphere, have enabled a climate of mob rule.”
Mr. Okeh added that the environment also led to the victimization of Adetshina, undermining the principles of justice, equality, and human dignity that literature seeks to uphold.
Despite this decision, he assured that organization would continue to support South African writers and thinkers.
Recall that the controversy arose from the recent disqualification of Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old model of both Nigerian and Mozambican heritage, from the Miss South Africa pageant.
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) had questioned Chidimma’s eligibility despite the fact that she was born in Soweto, South Africa, alleging that her mother may have committed fraud and identity
