18 Apr 2016

Kealeboga Mosekiemang’s creative use of words has been able to set her apart from thousands of other writers and poets who had submitted their works for some poetry competition hosted by an Italian based publishing company.The 29-year-old from Moshupa was in January announced as one of the winners for 2016 after her works made it through the selection process.

Mosekiemang said in an interview that she travelled to Italy to receive her award and that her prize included 500 euros which she has to give to a charitable organisation of her choice in Botswana.

She also noted that 15 of her poems would be published and were to be part of the literature syllabus in Italy.“I took part in the competition last year through the Black African Poets banner, a company here in Botswana that boasts of Batswana poets. I submitted my poem to the Italian based publishing company and I was chosen as one of the many winners for 2016,” she said.

She identified Ibiskos Editrice Risolo as the publishing company that would be publishing her poems while they would also be translated from English to Italian.Kealeboga further said she was yet to choose a charitable company to receive the 500 euros.

“I am looking at organisations outside Gaborone because they hardly ever receive any donations,” she said.She said what excites her most was the fact that she would be getting a percentage of the sales of the book with her 15 poems.On what she learned in Italy, Kealeboga said unlike here at home, artists there take art seriously.

“In Botswana we do art as a hobby, but not in the first world. They wake up every day and treat their art as a day job and even the support they receive is amazing,” said the young poet.Kealeboga said she has been invited back in August for an international youth forum and has also been asked to bring traditional musical instruments to sell. 

She will be travelling with Lebalerona Dumelang who is also with Black African Poets.“I want to appeal for sponsorship because we would only be getting half sponsorship on travel and accommodation from the people that invited us,” she said.

Dumelang said they were looking to host an international poetry festival dubbed Lepaxaxa, an event that will be partly sponsored by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture. END