Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah has accepted an invitation to appear at next year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week, after a furore over the axing of a planned appearance last year led to the 2026 event’s cancellation and the resignation of its director.
The 2027 festival will include West End play Oedipus starring Richard Roxburgh and Heather Mitchell, Bela Bartok’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle, TAO Dance Theater from Beijing and a “provocative, daring theatre work” from Brazil entitled The Brotherhood.
Highlights from the line-up for Adelaide Writers’ Week — which is part of the greater Adelaide Festival program — have been unveiled today.
In January, the Adelaide Festival board decided to remove Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week program, citing her “past statements”, but did not specify which ones.
“Whilst we do not suggest in any way that Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi,” the board’s statement read.
Palestinian author’s axing triggered ‘coercive behaviour’ warning
At the time, Abdel-Fattah has said it was “outrageous” to be linked to the incident at Bondi in December last year.
Abdel-Fattah was later the subject of an apology from the Festival Corporation, which invited her back for 2027.
Abdel-Fattah appeared at an alternative literary festival, Constellations, which was organised in the wake of the cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week.
It was reported in April, by the Australian Financial Review, that Abdel-Fattah had accepted that invitation — an outcome confirmed by Adelaide Festival artistic director Matthew Lutton.
“The board offered an invitation to her earlier in the year and she’s accepted,” Mr Lutton said.
“That was a decision that the board made and I support their decision.”
Festival board chair Judy Potter, who was appointed in January after all prior board members resigned in the wake of the event cancellation, said she did not consult with the government about reinviting Abdel-Fattah.
Judy Potter unveils the Adelaide Festival 2027 program highlights. (ABC News)
“I’m appointed by the government to chair this board and therefore I accept I made those decisions, with the board of course,” she said.
Ms Potter said the board maintained a “very good” relationship with the government.
“I think they [the government] have full confidence with myself, and we are working with them,” Ms Potter said.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said decisions about who appeared in the Adelaide Writers’ Week “is entirely a matter for the festival board”.
“It has always been their judgement and their judgement alone, and they will have to account for it,” he said.
“I have always argued the case that when we see events, particularly like Writers’ Week, that we see them occurring in a way that facilitate the views of all people, not just some, and that’s a principle I think should be abided by, along with respectful and civil discourse of these types of events.”
Adelaide Writers’ Week’s new director Rosemarie Milsom — the successor to Louise Adler, who resigned as director in January in solidarity with Abdel-Fattah — said she backed the author’s inclusion.
Rosemarie Milsom says she supports Randa Abdel-Fattah’s appearance in the next Writers’ Week. (ABC News)
“I’ve hosted Randa in my previous job at Newcastle Writers Festival without any issues, sell-out events, standing ovation, and the sky didn’t fall in,” Ms Milsom said.
“I think that you can disagree with someone’s views and their personal opinion about things, but value their contribution to literature in Australia. I mean, Randa’s gone on to be nominated for several awards, shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, there’s no argument about the literary value of her book, and I think you can hold those two perspectives.”
The Jewish Community Council of South Australia’s Norman Schueler expressed his disbelief and said he would speak to the festival board about the invite to Abdel-Fattah.
Norman Schueler opposes the inclusion of Randa Abdel-Fattah in the upcoming Adelaide Writers’ Week. (ABC News: Guido Salazar)
“Writers’ Week could have perfectly well taken place without this person,” he said.
“I would talk directly to the board who put her [Abdel-Fattah] there … I would endeavour to make common sense prevail.”
Full line-up coming
Mr Lutton said the festival highlights were unveiled on Tuesday, with the full program to be announced in January next year.
Mr Lutton said affordability had been a consideration for the broader festival, which would be making some $40 tickets available across the program to people under the age of 40.
“There’s free events across the festival. We have an expanded visual arts program across seven different galleries where six of them are free exhibitions,” he said.
Adelaide Writers’ Week is an annual event held as part of the Adelaide Festival’s program. (ABC News)
He said performing artists were keen to join the line-up of the festival, which will run from February 25 to March 14.
“I think they see it as a place where they know national audiences from around Australia will be gathering and they know that there’s a really daring and engaged audience at Adelaide Festival,” Mr Lutton said.