“Hobane’ng Re Ngola?” is the title to a compilation of expressive pieces of writing by young writers in Lesotho about why they write. The inspiration behind this project centers on the apparent need to understand this identity of ‘writer’, that surely it must be necessary for every writer in all our diversities and motivations for writing, to consciously establish why we pursue our craft. What makes us write? What is our drive? What is the point? Why, at all, do we write? And is this question even worth our time at all? We think it is.
The question of why we write is not necessarily meant to sound philosophical, so as to create this romantic and abstract pursuit to answer the big and recurrent question in philosophical thought of ‘WHY?”
We hope that it is more than that. We hope that the writers that take part in this project will go through their own self-defined introspection regarding their work and what it means to them.
We hope that a prompt like this, that makes us reflect on our reasons for writing will be instrumental in improving our work. And when every writer has put into words the answer to this question, the compilation will only be symbolic of the beautiful voices of young writers in Lesotho. The compilation will be made into a PDF for sharing with people, other writing spaces in and out of Lesotho and in the long term, probably publish it.
A reminder to ourselves and to the world, that we are here, young citizens of Lesotho; we have stories. We have voices.
HOBANE’NG RE NGOLA?
A compilation of expressive written pieces by young writers in Lesotho about why they write.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
- Submit your piece by 29 December and no later than that to the email: [email protected] in word document or pdf.
Include your name and surname, age and a picture of your face OR silhouette if you are not comfortable with having your portrait.
- Your piece should be no more than 800 words.
- You can write in Sesotho and/or English. Use the language in which you can most express yourself in.
- If you have any questions, feel free to email us or inbox us on the YBW Facebook page or in the YBW WhatsApp group.
ALSO…
- This is about you more than it is about the compilation. Why do you write? This question is for you. Write the way you Do not feel like you should censor yourself. Just write.
- You want to express this as a poem? As a mini short story? In simple continuous writing? As a diary extract? Whatever format and style that allows you to say what you want to say.
- The phrase ‘I write because…’/ Ke ngola hobane…’ can be a starting point if you can’t decide how you want to start.
- Ngola feela.
Enjoy the writing process. And thank you for being a part of this project!