Motswana author brings Annual Young Authors Awards
WeekendLife
A young Motswana author, Kagiso Selabe who recently started a creative writing capacity building project for students in the country says there is need to hone and nurture creative writing as it can play an important role in the country’s economy.
The author, who has also won the coveted Commonwealth Write Around the World Short Story Essay Award (2006), revealed that since starting the workshops, there has been overwhelming response from students and other creative writers alike. “The response has been amazing, we have come across great talent and this goes to show that students need this kind of platform,” he said.
He also said that other writers who aren’t students have also reached out to him wanting to be included in the project. “Creative Writing as a skill has been greatly neglected in the country- it is not even part of the annual President’s Competitions, yet developing countries have benefited greatly from it. Hollywood has great use of creative writers. We can transform our own economy using creative writing in the film industry,” he highlighted.
Selabe, through the support of Companies & Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA): Levy on Technical Devices Fund, last month started the project, which entails capacity building workshops for students on issues around creative writing, copyright and Intellectual Property. Already, he has covered the whole of the Kgatleng region and will proceed to other regions soon. The workshops target all senior secondary schools in the country, with a few select junior secondary schools- in total, 48 schools will be visited.
“The project will run for 24 months during which all senior secondary schools will be toured, plus a few selected junior secondary schools. We want to nurture students’ creative writing passion as well as discover the talent in those that have it but have yet to explore it,” he said.
He says they will visit two schools per month in order to cover all the schools in the 24 months. But the project is not all about conducting the workshops, he says. After the workshop, the students will have the chance to win P10 000.00, P5000.00 or P2 500.00 in a creative writing competition dubbed the Annual Young Authors Awards (AYAA). The students will also get gold, silver and platinum trophies along with their prizes.
“After the workshops, a theme will be given out and students who participated in the worked will create their pieces- short stories, poetry or any creative writing and submit. The judging process will follow and a prize giving ceremony will be held to honour the AYAA winners.” However, he said for the students to enter into the competition, they will have to buy a copy of his recently published novel, Banda Wa Mokone which he published under pen name- Gorri Aldoras Golivar, for P20.
The funds will go towards another initiative of his-the GA Golivar Award. Since he started rounding the schools for the workshops, he also dedicated some time to giving motivational talks at assembly time to inspire students towards academic excellence. So, to put his money where his mouth is, he has pledged P17 000 for great achievers in next year’s BGCSE, JC and PSLE exams. He says, any student who passes their BGCSE with straight A*s will get P10 000, while the one who achieves a merit in JC will take home P5 000 and the one that attains straight As at PSLE level will be awarded with P2 000.
AAYA, endorsed by the Ministry of Basic Education will officially be launched on October 28 at Sabi Sabi Gardens in Mochudi.
WeekendLife
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KM Sales has been offering fashionable items (shoes, t-shirts, pants) and has been participating in various lifestyle events such as Garden of Drip where it showcases its products.
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