Bessie Head Heritage Trust announces winners

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Tuesday June 22, 2010 00:00

 

Tshetsana Senau of Palapye snatched the first prize in the novel category for her manuscript Travelling to the Sun: The Diary of Ruth. The 20-year-old Senau, who is a BSc. student at the University of Botswana (UB) told Mmegi in an interview that she is still in shock about her win. 'It has always been my dream to get published at a young age and I am so happy that I am just about to accomplish that,' the ecstatic young student said. Senau's Travelling To The Sun: The Diary of Ruth is about a young, overweight girl who struggles to fit in at school as her slimmer peers reject her.

While Ruth tries to find acceptance in different schools, she is also aspiring to become an astronaut, a dream that seems unachievable given her weight problem.

At the end of the book, Ruth tragically dies in an accident and as if that were not enough, her death is dogged by suicide rumours.

Senau will receive a cash prize of P 2, 500 and perhaps most importantly, Pentagon Publishers will publish her story in a book form.

The first runner-up in this category is Patrick Melusi for The Calabash of Life in the Diaspora and the second runner-up is Wazha Lopang for If Mother Only Knew. The runners-up will each receive a set of books donated by Exclusive Books and Pentagon Publishers.

The 31-year-old Legodile Seganabeng won the first prize in the short-story competition for his story The Moon Has Eyes which is about Refilwe, a young rich girl, who falls in love with, Kagiso, a boy from a poor family and Refilwe's family meets this relationship with disapproval. 'I never took my writing career seriously as I considered it just as a hobby and I am surprised by my win.

This has fuelled by determination to break into the writing world,' Seganabeng, who is an art and design teacher at Maun Senior Secondary School, said in an interview. Seganabeng is going to get a cash prize of P 1, 500. His first runner-up is Atang Mogome for her story The Evil Messenger Of God and the second runner-up is Jelena Ivancevic for her story The Rise And The Fall In All Of Us. The runners-up will each get a set of books.

In the Children's Story category, Jenny Robson, who like Seganabeng is a teacher based in Maun, won with The Right Time, which is about twin sisters, their older sister and two peaches. Robson, who has stayed in Botswana for over 30 years, has won a number of literature prizes and she has written for a number of publications such as You and Drum. She has won P 1, 000 for her efforts. The first runner-up in this category is Reshoketjoe Lilford for her story The Christmas and the second runner-up is Dabilo Mokobi for her story Grampi.

Both Lilford and Mokobi will each receive a set of books from Exclusive Books and Pentagon Publishers. The award ceremony takes place this Saturday at the National Museum's Little Theatre. Works of 2009 winners will be launched in a book form at the same event.

The Bessie Head Literature Awards are sponsored by Pentagon Publisher and administered by the Bessie Head Heritage Trust. The Trust was established in June 2007 to promote the life and work of Bessie Head here and abroad.