Times Of Swaziland: MULHE FORTE AFRICAN LITERATURE AWARDS OPEN FOR EMASWATI

MULHE FORTE AFRICAN LITERATURE AWARDS OPEN FOR EMASWATI
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BY MMELI MKWANAZI on 20/07/2021 08:18:00


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.