kagablog

by Julia Mooi / Free State Eclectic Writers’ Club / 2001

My intention here is to write briefly about Free State black writers who have shown some literary creativity and to make more people aware of their books (some of them, anyway), which can be found in Free State libraries.

The first name that springs to mind is GILBERT MODISE. He has written and published at least six fiction books, all showing creativity. Five of his books were written in Setswana. Lesiela, Monono wa pelo, Thokolosi ya Mangaung, O itsiwe ke Maagwe and Maagwe o gwebo ka ene. His play “Our Land”, written in English had a mixed reception. Modise has a penchant for using too many big words, mixed with Latin and other strange expressions, and sadly the editing of the book “Our Land” leaves much to be desired.

FLAXMAN QOOPANE is an intriguing writer. As a journalist and photo-journalist he has few peers in the country, and as a storyteller for children too, he has distinguished himself. His published books include A poet abroad, Memories of a cultural activist, Adventures in journalism, and The vision of a poet. A poet abroad and Adventures in journalism make for interesting reading, and one wonders how a writer can be so frank about the events of his life. However, the main criticism of Flaxman Qoopane is that he seems to be fond of writing about himself. Surely a writer of his status should move ahead and produce things like literary essays or fiction.

When it comes to fiction (written in English) OMOSEYE BOLAJI is in a class of his own. His novel Impossible love continues to stun those who read it, and can be described as “a love story with quite a twist in the tail”. Bolaji’s novella, Tebogo investigates has also been hailed as a superb mystery/detective story of local colour. Recently, his latest novel, The Ghostly adversary was published, and it manages to be even more exciting and suspenseful than his earlier works. Another thing worthy of praise is BolajiÕs versatility. He wrote the biographical book, The story of Collins Mokhotho (a Free State traditional dancer) and a book on journalism, Fillets of Plaice.

Bolaji’s main weakness is a lack of motivation and encouragement that could make him into a real “great” in writing fiction, despite his achievements so far. It is common knowledge in Mangaung townships that Bolaji announced a “complete retirement from writing in 2001″. This announcement, it is gathered, was caused by an extraordinary run of bad luck in getting remuneration for his work, and alleged betrayal by close aides who profitted from his writing talents.

Another writer of great talent and potential is JOB T MZAMO, author of the superb anthology of poems Pride of my heart. Mzamo was a very late developer as a writer, but his literary skills are from the top drawer. After the successful publication of his first book Mzamo is now working on a book of literary essays Ð he has read hundreds of books written by Africans!

LEBOHANG THAISI, one of the youngest of the writers (and certainly the youngest to be published) has the potential to be as versatile as Bolaji. With his first book of poems, A voice from Mangaung, Thaisi showed a lot of talent. He has been writing fiction - short stories, and the longer variety, since he was a teenager. A book of some of his short stories is scheduled for publication. But alarmingly, it appears that despite his tender years, Thaisi is also becoming increasingly disillusioned with the lack of material writing success. And unlike Bolaji - who still manages to be active in the literary field despite disenchantment - Thaisi seems to be turning his back on creative writing.

PULE LEBUSO wrote African Renaissance, a small but thought- provoking book. Some find it disturbing - women, certainly, will not be happy with his comments on females in this book. It is however a useful addition to black literature in the Free State and is informative. Lebuso argues that Africans should not turn their backs on their African origins and is clearly angry about the “surplus rights” of women nowadays. This controversial book is a good read.

TSHIDISO RAMATSIE, now working on a Setswana novel, is another interesting author. He has done very well as a journalist in the electronic media (radio) and for newspapers like Die Volksblad and Sunday World (Johannesburg). His strength lies in realising the importance of very hard work and research. This amiable young man shows a lot of promise and we could expect a significant contribution from him in the future, as he is very much into literary matters.

Multi-talented FRANCE NTHEJANE, bravely started a township newspaper, Mangaung Mouthpiece, against unbelievable odds. Then he masterminded a pecial tribute to a distinguished Free State journalist, Mphikeleni Duma. The book, entitled The Tempe man, was added to the stock of the Free State Library, Information and Technology Services Directorate, as were books by Qoopane, Bolaji and Thaisi.