08 Aug 2023

Motswana author, Winnie Mpala’s novel titled Lea’s Secret was selected the best novel at the recent sixth Global Annual African Honoree Authors’ awards held at Johannesburg, South Africa recently.

The annual event themed: Unlock the Borders in Africa, attracted 160 authors from Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Sudan.

The African Authors’ Awards is a brainchild of a motivational speaker, publisher and founder, Anthea Thyssen-Ambursley of South Africa who has honoured more than 463 African authors on the continent in the past six years.

The awards, are aimed at  honouring ordinary authors as well as to promote ordinary people’s stories that change lives.

In an interview, the Maun born author, Mpala could not suppress her excitement, saying that the moment was indescribable since it was her first time winning such an award.

Her novel is centred on issues of rape, bullying and mental abuse.  

She said her book was nominated for the Botswana literature awards held in Gaborone around April but it did not win any award even though it was in the top three. She said the nomination spoke volumes.

“The excitement of having my book honoured at the 6^th Global annual African Honoree Authors’ awards ceremony for the first time is truly exhilarating. It was a moment of validation and recognition for all the hard work, creativity and passion that went into crafting Lea’s Secret. This was a fulfilling moment in my life,” she said.

The novel chronicles the experience of a young girl named Lea who was sexually molested and kept her ordeal a secret. 

Through the book, the author   wanted to depict the hard work required for victims to break the silence and live a normal life.

The book sheds light on how rape dehumanises victims and leaves them scarred and vulnerable.

Mpala advised fellow local writers to love their work, citing that writing was a journey that required patience and time.

She further advised them to  read books in various genres to expand their understanding of storytelling and writing styles.

Quoting the adage; practice makes perfect, Mpala challenged authors to write regularly and share their writing with trusted friends or writing groups to get constructive feedback.

“Writing can be challenging but you should not give up. Keep honouring your craft and pushing through obstacles,” she added.

Local authors were also encouraged to establish online pages to showcase their work and connect with readers. Ends