THAMI SCOOPS AWARD POETRY AWARD

MBABANE – History maker.

In making strides and paving his own path in a journey to realise his childhood dream, Thami Magongo has become the first liSwati to win in the first of its kind Mulher Forte African Literature awards. The awards were held virtually due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Botswana where literature enthusiasts and poets alike were nominated for the awards.
The awards are wholly owned by Paula Otukile from Botswana. In an interview with this publication she said the awards were all about dealing with translating literary consulting and publishing as well as hosting workshops and literature awards.

history

“Our main aim is to archive and write our own history and stories and preserve our African culture,” she asserted. The young Motswana woman said it was pivotal to recognize authors from all over Africa and give them support for the work they do. Only two emaSwati entered the competition and this included Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Magazine Editor Mcolisi Motsa and the eventual winner under the category of Best Poetry Performance, Thami Magongo. Magongo faced competition against finalists from Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana where his poem titled ‘lockdown’ won him the award. The final list of winners was announced yesterday through the organisation’s social media pages.
Worth noting is that the charismatic and down to earth Magongo is a graduate from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) where he completed a Degree in Humanities in 2019. When contacted, he expressed his excitement at being the first liSwati to win in one of the highly coveted awards which were a first of its kind.

achievement

“I am lost for words. This is definitely a huge achievement for me as I did not think I would go this far in the competition since I was up against participants from all over Africa. I thank God for answering my prayers throughout the whole journey,” he said. Magongo further advised aspiring literature fanatics to enter the competition next year as it would be a huge learning curve for them. He also advised them to have a unique style of writing which will then be easy for them to flow with the pen.  He highlighted that he normally wrote about human rights in his literature including mental health matters and addressing gender minorities.

“I have recently published my book called ‘A War Against Hate’ which addresses all the human rights’ shortcomings in society and I would love for emaSwati to get a copy,” he said.  He further stated that his artwork for the cover on his book was designed by renowned artist Honest Lihle Mhlanga. The founder of the awards stated that the winners would only get certificates for their awards as an incentive for their efforts. She mentioned that a lot of sponsors had pulled out from sponsoring the awards this year but hoped that next year’s awards would be bigger and better.

She further asserted that a certificate would forever be there for the eventual winners unlike money which was temporary. “I would love to network and grow in my journey to live my dream of helping other storytellers be recognized like in Nollywood (Nigeria), Bollywood (India) and Hollywood (U.S.A). Africa has got talent; if we support each other, this can turn the perception and the value of Arts and culture and literature,” she disclosed.  The Chief Executive Officer of Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture Stanley Dlamini, congratulated Magongo and shared that his achievement placed the country on the map. “We are so proud of him he has hoisted the country’s flag. Eswatini is a home of true talent; we have so many talented young people that need the right channel. The arts can also contribute in the economic scale of the country,” he said.

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