MULHE FORTE AFRICAN LITERATURE AWARDS OPEN FOR EMASWATI

MBABANE – Aspiring authors and poets are invited to apply in this year’s Mulhe Forte African Literature 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. “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 recognise authors from all over Africa and give them support for the work they do.

discovered

Born on July 12, at Mahalapye, Botswana, Paula discovered her writing quest while doing her undergraduate degree at the University of Botswana in Professor Leteame Melamu’s class. She is also a renowned polyglot as she speaks French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Setswana, English and many other languages. Paula translated ‘La verdad del Hombre’, a Spanish book by a Spaniard engineer called Juan. She also taught English language at Colegio Occano dar Lar in Viana, Angola. Almost three months ago, a local author and poet, Thabani Magongo became the first liSwati to win an award in the competition for ‘Best Poetry Performance in the whole of Africa’. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Magongo participated virtually in the competition and went on to publish his book, ‘A War Against Hate’ after winning the competition. The book addresses all the human rights shortcomings in faced by society.

Applicants

Applicants are urged to send a two-minute maximum video of themselves showcasing their craft. For live performers, they are advised to seek permission if they are to perform someone else’s poem. In the same breath, authors of various genres be it folklore, poetry, novels, children’s stories, indigenous language books and  motivational books can send their book, cover and a picture of the author. Applicants can send their work using social media platform WhatsApp on +267 77458029 or e-mail Paula200500293@gmail.com. Deadline for submission is on July 31, 2021. It is worth noting that the competition is free and applicants are not required to pay anyone to enter. Otukile further asserted that the objective of the competition was to recognise literature and unite Africans.

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