Deen publishes If Dreams Come True

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Wednesday February 10, 2010 00:00

God has given us a beautiful country with amazing flora and fauna that we need to appreciate and that is what writer Noorah Deen does in her book, If Dreams Come True. Deen feels that she has 'given Africa the glorious status it deserves', especially when it comes to Botswana, which she appreciates greatly for the 'simple and peaceful life it offers'. The poet is clearly in love with the country as shown in her poem, Botswana in which she says in part:

Botswana, Sweet Botswana

A dream come trueA reason to believe in love.No luxurious sky-scrappersNot much entertainment aroundBut peace and friendliness of its people compensate all that.Botswana, my second homeMy quiet refugeFused in serene wilderness.In her poems, Deen sounds like somebody who has travelled the length and breath of the country, appreciating its enchanting beauty in the process. Highlighting the peace that can also be felt in the wilderness she wrote:

Peace blended into natureThe surroundings looked more exotic than everHealing the pain slowly but surelyFootsteps go lightly and confidentlyThroughout the road of BotswanaWishing happiness to each and every Batswana people.

Other Botswana -related poems that readers might want to read include, Tsodilo, Mountains of the Gods, Mavis and Masego and Here Comes the Rain. There are 30 poems in the book altogether and they talk about a wide range of issues.

nterestingly the book contains some photos that capture scenes around the country and other parts of the world. Some of the pictures include one of a lion sitting forlornly behind a fence (was it pictured in captivity?), an elephant grazing, two adults ostriches with their kids, a group of wild birds foraging for food on the ground and so on.

While Deen is not a powerful writer technically, her writing style easily helps the readers 'visualise the scenes in a tangible manner' as she suggests on the back cover. This is mostcertainly a brave attempt  by the writer who calls Botswana her second home given that the atmosphere in the country hardly favours the literary arts. If Dreams Come True, which was printed on acid-free paper, was first published in October, 2009 by Author House in the United Kingdom (UK). It is available at the Botswana Book Centre.