The right one bites the dust

I'm 5 minutes away from boarding a flight to Lisbon via Amsterdam (Schipol is starting to feel like home) and so I can't chat/blog long. But I had to share I've just gotten word that Botswana, or rather the High Court of Botswana has been received the Bronze Gavel for the Gender Justice Uncovered award. Yay! you can follow this link (progress) to find out what the fuss is all about. 

About time, congratulations to the three sisters who brought the particular case that led to this judgement to the court's attention.

The Presiding Judge Dingake is quoted as saying, "'It seems to me that the reason proffered by the learned Attorney General cannot be a valid reason to discriminate against the applicants. In my mind, there is no legitimate government purpose to be served by the discriminatory rule; and the fact of the matter is that the rule sought to be impugned is not only irrational but amounts to an unjustifiable assault on the dignity of the applicants and or women generally. The effect of the Ngwaketse Customary law, sought to be impugned, is to “subject women to a status of perpetual minority, placing them automatically under the control of male heirs, simply by virtue of their sex”. I do not think it can be credibly argued that discrimination alluded to above serves any worthy or important societal purpose. "

LETLHAFULA: A movable feast from Gaborone to Germany

“Further , German settlers to the Eastern Cape in 1858 often elected to wear the blue print that was widely available as a trade cloth and echoed the Blaudruk that they were familiar with in Germany," History of Shweshwe, Da Gama textiles.

And this ladies and gentlemen is one plausible explanation of why the Botswana national dress for women is made out of a fabric often colloquially referred to as German print. I’m writing about this because I’m in Berlin and it took twenty-four hours from my door in Gaborone to the hotel door in Potsdamer. So of course my first thought was how and why in the world we chose this particular fabric to don for our cultural ceremonies all the way in Southern Africa.  Of course I know from primary school social studies that the Germans have a history with Namibia, which borders Botswana to the west, but I wondered what the connection might be between my temporary digs and back home.  

Just last weekend I attended a food and culture festival, in Botswana, known as Letlhafula. Letlhafula is a Setswana word meaning ‘harvest’ and can be taken to mean a/the time of harvest. In its 13th year the Letlhafula festival was started by the owners of Botswanacraft which is my favourite stop for traditional cuisine in the city (when I’m not buying it on the street off an unidentified lunch-vendor).

The festival is held every May probably because our winter begins around then and ends in July - give or take a couple of weeks on either end. This is arguably the best time to reap what we have sown before winter well and truly kicks in. I am what could be called an unreliable narrator because I’ve spent my entire life in the city and the seasons pass differently in urban spaces, more as a reference to fashion than food. The only quality time in the village I got for eighteen years was 3 weeks every Christmas holiday, not enough time to properly pick up what a number of my village-raised peers know backwards. What I do know is this, that the way we traditionally marked the harvest time was by feasting on all of nature’s bounty (sounds like an ad for frozen veggies) and so this festival is a kind of urbanized celebration of that agrarian practice.

Up to 25 pots each with their own chef, cooking up lots of yummy food including phane (also known as mophane worm although its a caterpillar if we are going to get all technical), menoto (chicken feet) and leleme (cow tongue), I’ve gone for the shock factor there and named what’s most likely exotic sounding but all of it is, I assure you from first hand experience, fantastic tasting.

PIC: Plate laden with lephutshe (pumpkin), menoto, bogobe jwa madila (sour porridge), koko ya setswana (free range chicken),  seswaa (pounded beef) and phane, the brown and white fabric underneath is an example of the German print fabric.

The cooking takes place in black cast iron, three legged pots over an open fire. The food tastes mildly woodsy which doesn’t mean what you might think, just better. It hardly ever burns (I’m not the world’s best cook but even I can work one of these) and there’s something about the final dish that makes you want to eat with your hands. So of course we wash our hands before we eat, doesn’t everyone you ask? I hope so but the way we do it traditionally is, the water is usually brought in a jug to the seated person being served, they wash their hands into a bowl and immediately tuck in.  Sounds simple enough but in context it really adds something to the whole vibe. Everything you eat is organically grown or open farm raised. From the seswaa pounded beef - not unlike pulled pork in its look - to the goat stew and tripe, all manner of lentils and dried bean leaves, phaletshe (a palenta-like staple), sorghum and millet cooked with sour milk or pumpkin.  Don't get me wrong breakfast here at the hotel was fantastic but my mouth is watering at the memory of the festival feast.

Setswana traditional cuisine is healthy, I suppose our idea of dessert would be fruit. The food is filling, often protein heavy but prepared in a way that hasn’t for whatever reason given the entire population gout given how much of it we eat. As one of our top 3 Miss Botswana beauty contestants recently said, - Botswana has more cows than people. In fact over 50% of the country's households own cattle.

There is a sizable stage where a number of artists including traditional instrumentalists, dancers, poets reciting in Setswana and comedians regale the masses with words and sound and such stuff. All of this served in the great outdoors, well in a courtyard with tables over-layed with the leteise which my elderly aunts still call *Jeremane (a kind of lehnwort although probably more of an adaptation rather than a direct loan of the word Germany).  It is basically indigo fabric but these days it is available in a myriad of colors not just the original blue that our mothers always wear to weddings and cultural ceremonies such as the sending off of a bride to her in-laws the day after she is wed.  

PIC: As you can see from the free advertising that I’m giving a certain telecommunications company, the event is sponsored by a multi-national private entity.

*Je – as in jerry

re – as in renegade

mane – as in, a, well as in mah- nay

ST LOUIS TOP 40 UNDER 40 CATALYSTS

So a bit of good news. I think. I recently got nominated for an award, the St Louis Top 40 under 40 is not only in its first year but is also the first local list of its kind. Late last year I was told the lovely folks at Arise Magazine were featuring a selection of African Changemakers and that I was to take up some page space in their latest edition. This time around St Louis which is, amazingly given its name, very much a local lager, concocted or whatever one does with beers, by a Motswana brewmaster is publishing features of young -ish Batswana across national media. My French compatriots assure me the export edition is quite the drink and so if I must :) be a catalyst... 

You can guess from my statement that drinking St Louis is clearly not part of the criteria for selection, rather the folks at SL say they seek change makers who have, and are willing to continue to actively contribute to their communities in one way or another. I think the idea here is that the folks on the list are ones to watch, a generation who will likely help shape the country and positively impact the local environment in the/for years to come.

As I'm sure you've guessed the nominees are all under the age of 40. I'm told they/we have been pooled from all corners of the land as well as various fields - entrepreneurs, musicians, activists, and yes poets(plural - I'm excited can you tell) etc. The panel of 3 judges will whittle down a list of 83 to 40 finalists but methinks if you got on the long list smile and go about your business.

A member of the judging panel Mr Solomon Monyame is quoted as saying, "In the midst of our search for Botswana's catalysts from North to South, we were pleasantly overwhelmed with the number of young change makers our country has. Working with our criteria, we had to choose the top 40, but there were many other catalysts who we hope to see in next year's Top 40 Under 40".

Anyway thats that, I'm off to co-edit a film script.

AND IF THE SUN ITSELF IS NOT NEW

"Our Art must become a process -- a living, growing thing that people can relate to, identify with, be part of, understand; not a mysterious world, a universe apart from them." Thami Mnyele, visual artist.

Let us treat the government of Botswana's definition of youth ie. 35 or under, as agreeable. If you talk to young poets in Botswana (and those who say that is what they are, are many for such a small country :), they will know the Live poets!(1990s), Exoduslivepoetry! collective(2000-2006 & 2011), Poetavango(2009 to date) but I bet you a tankard full of sour milk (a delicacy not some dodgy reference) that none of us know that before Exoduslivepoetry's Infinite Word Festival there had been a lot of activity in the late 70s and early 80s, other than the formation of the Writers Association of Botswana in 1980.

But before we delve heart first into the past, a fantastic initiative, Arts for Change which included graffitti and creative writing workshops recently took on the task of changing the living landscape of one of the most densely populated low income neighbourhoods in the city of Gaborone. Looking at a gorgeous mural someone said, not for the first time when faced with a creative happening, "Wow this is the first of its kind, writers and artists working together in Botswana". So I  remembered a link a frenchman had sent me not so long.

We know that on June 14, 1985 the South African Defense Force (SADF) raided Gaborone, killing twelve people. What many of us don't know is that a number of houses belonging to members of Medu, a cultural activist organisation were targeted, destroyed and that those 12 people included South Africans - artist Thami Mnyele and Medu treasurer Mike Hamlyn. Three years prior to the attack, Medu had hosted the country's first (and only as far as I know) Gaborone Culture and Resistance Festival. Between Medu's formation and its cessation overnight these cultural workers, for they apparently never referred to themselves as artists, hosted poetry readings and book discussions, prison workshops on art, theatre productions, composed and played music and created processes for political POSTER design.  

"The visual arts unit of Medu included: Thami Mnyele (exiled 1978), Miles Pelo (exiled 1981, left Botswana 1982 for Cuba, Tanzania, England), Heinz Klug (1979 - 1985 in Botswana), Judy Seidman (American-born, in Medu 1980 - 85), Gordon Metz (in Medu 1979 - 1985), Albio and Theresa Gonzales (Swedish/Spanish, in Gaborone from 1979 - 1985), Philip Segola (Botswana citizen, occasional Medu member), Lentswe Mokgatle (in Medu from 1982- 85). (Zimbabwean artist George Nene was not formally a member of the group, but was in Gaborone Central Prison during this period, where he studied in art classes run by Medu for prisoners.)

Other cultural activists in Medu included: in literature and drama, Mongane Wally Serote, Mandla Langa, Pheto Serote, Bachana Mokwena, Keorapetse and Baleka Khotsitsile, Marius Schoon, Patrick Fitzgerald and Thele Moema; in photography, Mike Kahn and Tim Williams; and in music, Jonas Gwangwa, Dennis Mpale, Steve Dyer, Hugh Masekela, Livy Phahle, Tony Cedras and journalist Gwen Ansell; other members included Muff Anderson, Mike Hamlyn (SA draft resister) and Uriel Abrahamse." South African History Online.

Needless to say I wasn't there, though we lived near one of these bombed houses for most of my childhood so here is a link that might prove insightful - MEDU HISTORY. 

POKO means poetry

“Though Botswana had escaped settler colonialism by becoming a British Protectorate, the country was isolated from early influence leading to the emergence of literacy. Hence, selections from Botswana in this volume do not begin until 1926." Women Writing Africa – The Southern Region ed MJ Daymond, Dorothy Driver, Sheila Meintjes, Leloba Molema, Chiedza Musengezi, Margie Orford and Nobantu Rasebotsa (Feminist press at the City University of New York, 2003)

Having borrowed all that, today I’m not interviewing a woman. I’m actually talking to a man who writes poetry in Setswana and is therefore a mmoki (poet). 

Moroka Moreri is a BEd. graduate with a major in Setswana and English, he writes and recites entirely in Setswana. He is widely published with six books to his name and is by far one of the most requested poets at public gatherings. Unlike most published poets I know, Moroka very rarely reads from his books at gatherings he just sort of gets up and speaks a poem.

Statistically speaking, we no longer struggle with literacy on a national scale and you can study poetry at all academic levels in Botswana including at the University of Botswana’s African languages department and the Education department but socially we are still not much of a print/book culture. You can easily pack a café full of people to listen to poetry but would be hard pressed getting a quarter of the room to read a collection of poetry, even if you gave them free copies. When you tell a Motswana that you are a poet they often say mpoke - a word which means "poem me i.e. recite a poem about me" as opposed to "Where can I find your book?" Because of this predisposition to the oral, some of the poets who perform on these platforms have become household names – they are interviewed on TV and in the general press – but the majority of these ‘popular’ poets recite in English and so I ask Moroka to name 5 Batswana poets who recite in Setswana that all Batswana should know.

MM: Rabojalwa Keetile, Dipako Sesienyane, Kaone Mahuma, David Tlale, Ntirelang Berman, Benson Phuthego

Because most of the poets who perform in English (in Botswana) also memorise their poems it is not always clear whether the baboki/traditional Setswana poets also recite previously composed poems from memory or compose entire poems on the spot

MM: Some recite from the memory, some prefer to write first and yes others can do it on the spot

With the exception of a 2 or 3 mandatory reads, the entirety of my experience of Setswana poetry has been through audio/live performances rather than as text. I ask Moroka whether Setswana poetry has forms such as sonnets, villanelles etc.?

MM: Setswana started as an oral language, so traditional oral poets do not do such. When it evolved into written poetry, the writers used stanzas, but we do not categorize Setswana poetry in English forms or structure

Setswana poetry is long and without stanzas, however the contemporary writers use stanzas

I’m curious as to whether traditional /Setswana poetry has changed over the years in terms of delivery or themes or form

MM: oral poetry has not changed that much, however the subjects have changed in that it is no longer the king alone who is praised, even corporate events are praised and CEOs these days. Written Setswana poetry has always addressed different themes.

I wear whatever I want for readings but I’ve noticed that the baboki seem to either wear tattered clothes or cow hide ensembles and that they also carry horse whisks and wooden canes/clubs

MM: Traditionally a poet wears clothes that reflect or symbolize the Setswana culture, so dress is more symbolic. The attire can also be used to enhance the performance.

When I look up the word ululation its definition is often linked with grief or portrayed as a battle cry. In Botswana we ululate as a form of celebration at weddings, during poems etc. I ask Moroka whether all traditional poems incorporate music and/or ululation

MM: some poets do incorporate music, some ululation while other poets prefer to recite without any accompaniment.

Which begs the question, what is the role of the one who ululates in the poem?

MM: Aesthetic device and accompaniment also used as a pause to make the poet refresh and think of other ideas, as well as to motivate the poet when the ululator is competent.

I wonder whether traditional poets see their role as that of wielding delight or instruction or otherwise

MM: entertainment, form of reporting, symbolic of who we are, mode of communication etc.

Today’s poets have their choice of platforms but this city is only 47 years old before auditoriums, radio and television stations where did the traditional poets recite their poems?

MM: In social gatherings like, kgotla (royal kraal/administration centre), bogwera (initiation), botsetsi, during the war, fire place, letsema, melaletsa etc.

What is the role of the poet in the kgotla?

MM: In a traditional kgotla, the poet’s role is to praise the Kgosi tell him in the poem the status of his village/ward in terms of people’s feelings about his leadership style. The poet also encourages the community to respect the Chief, may also touch on issues of genealogy as well as praising the tribe to believe in itself mentioning the good deeds that the tribe has achieved. The poet is also a symbol of pride and culture of a particular village.

We are told that poko is as old as the Tswana tribes, what of the first (Batswana) poets?

MM: They are not documented because Batswana were not a literate society.

Traditionally were there any Batswana women who were poets?

MM: Yes (he later points out to me that the women poets mainly recited only in each others company, not publicly)

Is there any increase in the number of women reciting in Setswana (publicly)?

MM: Yes

There is a theory that Setswana is difficult to read

MM: not in my environments, however in Botswana we have Batswana who speak their own languages different from Setswana who may find reading Setswana as a challenge.

On whether traditional poets, who are often clustered together and referred to as PRAISE poets, ever challenge the political authority’s ideology or practices

MM: Yes in Serowe, Mochudi and Molepolole especially in regard to chieftaincy.

When I was young I watched a movie, Crocodile Dundee I think it was, and in one of the voice overs the protagonist says something to the effect that he once asked an (Aboriginal) elder when he was born. The elder replied, “In the summer”. I ask Moroka to give me an average of the length of a Setswana poem

MM: 10 to 15 minutes.

Of course. My thanks to Moroka Moreri for sitting in the shade of the conversation tree with me. 

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A You Tube link here to a local poetry festival, Moroka Moreri is at 5:55 though the entire clip is worth watching.

MMUALEBE INTERVIEW SERIES: Cheryl Ntumy

Cheryl Ntumy is a freelance writer based in Botswana. She is originally from Ghana. Her first published novel was Crossing (Pentagon Publishers, 2010). She has published four romance novels with Sapphire Press. She also writes short stories, fantasy and science-fiction. Her latest novel is The Cupid Club (Sapphire Press, 2013).

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What is the importance of literacy

Being illiterate in the modern world is like walking through a minefield in a foreign country. There is so much information available at the touch of a button or the turn of a page, but an illiterate person is completely shut out and therefore at a disadvantage. Such a person can’t even begin to compete in a world where knowledge is power, and reading is the key to knowledge.

What is the importance of literature

For me the role of literature is the same as that of any other form of storytelling, any other art – to reveal the human condition, to teach, to entertain, to inspire. Stories use fiction to point out the truth, to show us who we are and who we could be. Literature opens minds and hearts.

What is the importance of reading for pleasure

Human beings have a natural affinity for stories. Reading for pleasure exposes you to worlds you might never venture into otherwise, but more importantly it allows you to let your imagination run wild. Imagination is the greatest gift we have – it’s what allows us to create and progress.

Please name one Motswana writer you think the (outside) world should read and tell us why

I don’t know many published Motswana writers. The one writer I’d really want people to read is unpublished, but has incredible potential. Tlotlo Tsamaase writes complex and fascinating science-fiction/ fantasy set in Botswana. I think she exemplifies the new wave of young African writers who are children of the global village.  In terms of established writers, Lauri Kubuitsile comes to mind. She’s been writing for many years and has really captures the spirit of Botswana in her work.

How important is getting published

That depends. If you want to make a living as a writer, getting published is essential. If your focus is on developing your skill and writing for the love of it, getting published is not as important. In this day and age, though, publication is simple unless you specifically want a traditional publisher. You can self-publish, you can create e-books, you can put your work online for people to read for free. It all comes down to what you want to achieve as a writer.

Are any of your books studied in local schools (at what level)

I have a short story (“White”) in an anthology called Lemon Tea and Other Stories, which I believe is part of the English syllabus at UB.

Have you ever been invited as a guest writer to any school

I was invited along with other writers to talk to students at Maru-a-Pula a few years ago.

Does the consideration that publishers want books that sell (mainly to fit the school syllabus) determine your themes

I don’t write for the school market. As part of the Petlo Literary Arts Trust, I learned that writing for schools is limiting, and there is nothing worse than writing about things that don’t interest you just to get published. I write what I like, and then I search for a publisher that shares my vision.

What are the common themes in your writing

My romance books deal with the ideas of being open to life, learning to trust, staying true to yourself and following your heart. My other work deals with spirituality, tolerance, self-discovery, and existential matters: what’s the world really like, who are we, why are we here, etc. I also enjoy exploring the unexplained.

Are you conscious of preserving a certain image of African women in your writing

I try not to let such concerns limit me – I write characters as they come to me, African or not.  With romance books you want the women to be strong, but even then it’s important that characters are human and relatable. African women don’t fit any set mould. Generally I prefer characters with more flaws, because they’re more interesting to write about and their stories go deeper.

How much, if any, of your work is published locally and how much elsewhere– and why

With the exception of the short story anthology and the work I did with Petlo, all my work is published elsewhere. Botswana’s publishing industry is incredibly limited. Any writer who wants to think outside the box or wants to be read beyond the borders of Botswana should publish outside – unfortunately it’s the practical option.

Do the local bookshops stock your books /Where or how are your books distributed

My romance books are in CNA – they’re published in South Africa and are distributed through South African stores. They’re also available online as e-books. The Petlo books are available at Exclusive Books.

Have you travelled/lived outside Botswana and do you think a writer must remove themselves from a particular space in order to either write well about home or create a sense of universality

I don’t think a writer needs to leave their desk if they have a clear vision. It depends on your subject matter. I’ve traveled outside Botswana and it helped me when I wanted to write about those places, but if you’re writing about Kanye, stay in Kanye. If you’re creating a fictional world modeled on 18^th century London, then going to London might be useful. But with the information available to us today, a writer no longer has to travel to be able to produce good work with a universal message. Most writers who grew up in the information age have a universal worldview, in any case.

Do you write from experience/real life

I find writing from real life repetitive. If I’ve already lived through it, it’s not exciting anymore. I get an idea, a sort of “what if this happened?” or “what if the world was like this?” and run with it. My experiences or the experiences of people around me help in terms of building characters, exploring certain situations or tapping into particular emotions, but mostly it’s all make-believe. 

Does the writer have a duty to bear witness to the times (and space) they live in

No, that’s the duty of a journalist. A fiction writer’s only duty is to the story, in whatever form it may take. A writer will bear witness, consciously or unconsciously; the finished product will reflect the spirit of the time and space the writer is in, because those things are part of the writer and inevitably spill into the work. If you live in a war zone and write a love story set in paradise, that vision was still born from war. I’ve yet to read a story that doesn’t in one way or another mirror the world at the time of writing. But to me writing is a sacred art. Tapping into the pool of universal imagination to create something that will affect others is already fulfilling your responsibility to the world. Other writers begin with a purpose or a message, and that works for them. But I find that when I focus on the story, all the other stuff takes care of itself.

Do you think women writers can help resolve some of the debates or issues concerning our development

Women writers are already tackling the major issues. When you write about women, about their internal and external struggles, you make a statement. You show women that they are not alone, you create awareness. Writers can inspire change and development in others, but it’s up to their readers to turn that inspiration into action.

Are you a member of any local writers group or association and has this helped you in any way

I am a member of the Petlo Literary Arts Trust, although I’m not as active as I once was. The group has been an enormous help – through our projects I wrote my first play, worked on another play which has since been published (Sechele I), developed my short stories, met other writers and artists, learned how to organize and facilitate a workshop and made contacts in the media and arts world. Being part of a group gives you the opportunity to share your work with others and get valuable feedback, and to get involved in promoting literature and local writers.

You write in English. Do you read any poetry, fiction, news articles etc in Setswana – if not, why

I’m from Ghana, so reading Setswana is very difficult for me. When we worked on Sechele I we wrote Setswana poetry and used proverbs, which we subsequently translated into English for the book. That gave me insight into the story so that I could write English scenes from a Tswana perspective. I would read more Setswana if it didn’t take me an hour to get through one page!

Do you have a particular audience in mind when you write – who

I don’t think about the audience. I only think about the story. When I’m done with the first draft and about to begin rewriting, that’s when I consider the audience. With romance that would be young women, a few couples, some older women. Some of my other work is for teens, young adults, or adults. When I sit down to begin a story I’m always writing for me.  If I wouldn’t read it, I don’t write it.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as writer

The biggest material challenge is making a living, which is a daily struggle. But the toughest part emotionally is dealing with the belief that you’ll never be as good as the writers you admire.

What if anything in your background has enabled/encouraged you to become a writer

I’ve always known that I wanted to write, it’s not something I had to think about. I’ve always loved words. My parents are both educators and I grew up surrounded by books; perhaps my love of books is genetic. At some point I learned that if you express your wild ideas out loud people will lock you up, so I used writing to say all the things I couldn’t say in real life.


*An introduction to this series of interviews is here. 

MMUALEBE INTERVIEW SERIES: Lauri Kubuitsile

Lauri Kubuitsile is a full time, award winning writer with more than twenty published books. She was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize and twice won the only Pan African prize for children's writing, The Golden Baobab.

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What is the importance of literacy

I think that’s sort of basic- people’s lives become very limited without the ability to read. Literacy means you can be a lifelong learner.

What is the importance of literature

Literature helps us record our stories. For writers, I think it helps us to see and understand the world in a clearer way. For readers, literature allows them to live an infinite number of lives in one lifetime.

What is the importance of reading for pleasure

You learn about other places in a more real way. It helps you to develop empathy. It engages your mind in ways films and TV cannot.

Please name one Motswana writer you think the (outside) world should read and tell us why

Wame Molefhe. I think she has a unique way of telling a story that is always firmly rooted in the soil of this country but not pedantically or clichéd.

How important is getting published

It was more important before I got published.

Are any of your books studied in local schools (at what level)

Yes. Primary and junior secondary.

Have you ever been invited as a guest writer to any school

Yes but only private schools, sadly.

Does the consideration that publishers want books that sell (mainly to fit the school syllabus) determine your themes

No, never.  All of my prescribed books (the ones written only by me) were written with no intention of being prescribed.

What are the common themes in your writing

I have no common themes really, whatever comes comes. I do tend to hate injustice in any form so that often shows itself.

Are you conscious of preserving a certain image of African women in your writing

No.

How much, if any, of your work is published locally and how much elsewhere? – and why?

In terms of books, most are published in South Africa, with 7 soon to be 8 books published locally, I have two books published off the continent, 1 in USA, 1 in UK. The market is small here and no one is working to try to improve that.

Do the local bookshops stock your books? /Where or how are your books distributed?

I’ve seen a few of the titles (2)  at Exclusive and my romances are at CNA. Distribution is handled by the publisher.

Have you travelled/lived outside Botswana and do you think a writer must remove themselves from a particular space in order to either write well about home or create a sense of universality

Yes, and no, there are many fabulous writers who prove this.

Do you write from experience/real life

Sometimes and other times not. If it is from a personal experience, I always take a bit and let my imagination take over after that.

Does the writer have a duty to bear witness to the times (and space) they live in

No. A writer’s only obligation is to tell a good story. Any prescriptions tend to hamper that.

Do you think women writers can help resolve some of the debates or issues concerning our development

Individually, yes. Together, doubtful.

Are you a member of any local writers group or association and has this helped you in any way

I was a member of WABO and it helped me only in that I met other writers.

Do you have a particular audience in mind when you write – who?

Yes, it depends on the project

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as writer

Trying to make enough money so I don’t have to work another job.

What if anything in your background has enabled/encouraged you to become a writer

 I think English as a first language is an advantage since there are more markets for English writing. And I’ve always read a lot.

*An introduction to this series of interviews is here.