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Our Story

More Than an Organisation.
A Movement.

Founded to ensure African women's stories are written, published and preserved for generations to come.

Who We Are

Amplifying
Every Voice

Women Authors Forum Africa was founded on a single belief: every African woman carries a story worth telling โ€” and a story worth keeping.

We walk alongside women at every stage of their writing journey โ€” from the first sentence to the published book. Through recognition, documentation and exhibition, we ensure women's contributions to history are never overlooked, never undervalued, and never forgotten.

Our work spans creative writing workshops, one-on-one mentorship, professional publishing support and the landmark Queens of Excellence programme โ€” which documents and exhibits the stories of outstanding women in museums, libraries and national archives.

โœ
Write

Workshops, mentorship and community support for aspiring authors at every experience level.

๐Ÿ“–
Publish

Guiding women through the full publishing process from rough manuscript to finished book.

๐Ÿ›
Preserve

Archiving women's stories in museums, libraries, schools and digital collections.

โ™›
Recognise

The Queens of Excellence programme formally honours women across 9 categories.

Indlovukazi Mapule โ€” Founder of KWAF
KWAF Founder & President
Meet the Founder

Indlovukazi Mapule

Founder ยท President ยท Author ยท Speaker

Indlovukazi Mapule is the visionary force behind the KZN Women Authors Forum. A published author, community builder and cultural activist, she founded KWAF with a singular mission โ€” to ensure that every African woman who has a story to tell has the support, the platform and the community to tell it. Under her leadership, KWAF has grown from a small gathering of women writers in KwaZulu-Natal into a national movement with branches in KZN, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

Her books โ€” Leaving The Shadows Behind and Iqiniso Lami โ€” are raw, courageous accounts of marriage, truth, healing and identity. She also compiled Queens of Excellence, the official documentation of outstanding South African women. Her books have inspired hundreds of women to begin their own writing journeys.

Her Published Books
Our Journey

A History of
Purpose

2018

Mama Albertina Sisulu Year

Founded in honour of Mama Sisulu's legacy. The first cohort of women writers gathered to share and document their stories.

2021

Charlotte Maxeke Celebration

A year-long programme honouring Charlotte Maxeke's centenary through writing projects, oral history recordings and exhibitions.

2022

Queens of Excellence Documentation Project

Launched the landmark programme to document, recognise and exhibit the stories of outstanding African women.

2023

First Annual Gala & Book Launch

The first Queens of Excellence Awards Gala held in Durban. Six women honoured. Six books launched.

Now

National Expansion

Three provincial branches โ€” KWAF (KZN), ECWAF (Eastern Cape) and WeCWAF (Western Cape) โ€” growing the platform across South Africa.

Community Impact

Taking Stories to
Every Community

KWAF's outreach programme takes books, workshops and inspiration to communities that are often overlooked โ€” including care facilities, rehabilitation centres and rural schools across KwaZulu-Natal.

Every woman, regardless of her circumstances, deserves to know that her story matters.

See Our Events
Legacy Wall

Women Who Made
History

NM
Nompumelelo MthembuEducation ยท 2022
TZ
Thandi ZwaneCommunity ยท 2022
BK
Bongiwe KhumaloBusiness ยท 2023
LN
Lindiwe NzamaHealth ยท 2023
SM
Siphiwe MbathaMedia ยท 2023
FD
Funani DubeAgriculture ยท 2024
PN
Precious NtuliReligion ยท 2024
ZM
Zanele MthembuPolitics ยท 2024

Be Part of the
Movement

Join us as a writer, supporter or Queens of Excellence nominee.