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Botswana Based Writer Wame Molefhe Speaks About Her Love for Literature

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 28 Feb 2011   |   

Wame Molefhe is a full time writer who freelances for a number of publications and writes TV documentaries and dramas, travel articles and radio jingles. Just Once, her children’s collection of short stories, was published in 2009. Her second short story collection, Go Tell the Sun, will be published later this month. She lives in Gaborone, Botswana.

What motivates you to read?
When I was much younger, I read because it provided a way for me to discover things for myself. Whenever I didn’t know the meaning of the word, I was told, “Look it up” and “You must read.” That was long before the advent of the internet, so looking it up meant getting the dictionary out and reading meant reading a book. Nowadays, reading is a stimulus for my writing and it is the ultimate indulgence. I do not need another person to read. I can be surrounded by people and noise, but disappear into the world created by the words I am reading. I also read to show children that there is an alternative to TV.

What sort of books do you enjoy reading?
It depends on my mood. If I am writing non-fiction and battling tight deadlines, I will usually read a short story that I can finish in one sitting. If I am not so busy, I will read a novel and if it is one I enjoy, I will try and make it last. Nowadays, I actively seek out writing by contemporary African women writers: Chimamanda Adichie, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Doreen Baingana. I am also exploring the world of poetry and always thrilled to discover a poem whose words and rhythm stay with me after I’ve read the last word. I like poetry from Gabeba Baderoon and A Thousand Silences by Lebo Mashile. I think writing has also brought consciousness of unavailability of writing from African writers.

• Read complet article at Daily Monitor

An Interview with 2010 Bessie Head Literature Award Winner Jenny Robson

by Bontle on 23 Jun 2010   |   

This year’s Bessie Head Literature Awards celebrated children’s literature with a new category for children’s story with Jenny Robson taking the top prize for her book The Right Time. Robson has lived in Maun in Botswana for many years and hopes to stay there for the rest of her life.

Robson has won many awards for her children’s books and young adults stories. When asked why this award was so important to her, she said:

For one thing, just entering the competition means that I am back here in Botswana. And that is a wonderful thing for me. I was away for a number of years and felt as though I were in exile. Botswana is the only place where I feel truly ‘me’.

For another, I have such respect for the late Bessie Head – not the icon, but the real flesh-and-blood woman who faced such struggles and pain yet could turn that into meaning and beauty through her writing. I always felt a bond with her. Not that my writing is any way in her league, but she was an inspiration to me.

• Read the complete article at the Voice BW

New Book Aims to Educate Children on Botswana

by Bontle on 03 Jun 2010   |   

Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana, the first book in an exciting new travel adventure series for children, will be released nationwide on Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

The novel follows twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt, who arrive in Botswana for an African safari and get much more adventure than they bargained for when they set off into the wild in the hopes of saving a lioness and her cubs from a poacher. While on this journey, they encounter all of Africa’s Big Five—elephants, rhinos, Cape buffaloes, leopards and lions—only to discover that the most dangerous predator in the African bush is not the king of beasts, but man himself.

• Read the complete article at Businesswire

Book details

• Travels With Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana by Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet
  EAN: 9781936284009
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

British Council Promotes Culture of Reading Among Botswana's Children

by Bontle on 01 Apr 2010   |   

The British Council conducted a prize giving ceremony for pupils who had successfully completed its “Team Read” challenge, last Friday. In the “Team read” challenge, learners are made to read six books, and the participants are given a membership card to keep track of the books they have read. Each participant then provides an opinion on the book to their teachers, parents and peers.

The Director of British Council Botswana, Tanya Dunne, said at the ceremony that after initiating the program and spreading it all over the world, the British Council has set it up in 23 countries, including Botswana. Forty-five learners were awarded prizes that included gold medals, certificates, watches and mathematical sets to celebrate their achievement.

The “Team Read” initiative is meant to inform children about the past times, improve their academic performance, their vocabulary and English language and also build their confidence. The program also encourages parents to take part in their children’s academic work and monitor their progress.

• Read the complete article at Sunday Standard