07 Dec 2017

Aspiring writers have been urged to consider self-publishing as an option in order to survive the industry.

Poetavango chairperson, Legodile Seganabeng said this during an interview following a writers’ workshop, which aimed at sharing challenges, experiences and discuss the craft of writing and strategies to thrive in the industry.

Writers mentioned publishing of their books as a major challenge that frustrated their efforts, but he advised them to try self-publishing as an intervention in order to remain relevant in the industry.

Majority of writers revealed during the workshop that writing remained a dream as very few found publishers for their work.

However, Seganabeng advised that one of the answers to their challenge was self-publishing.

He also advised them to do a lot of research and learn the basics of self-publishing so that they succeed in the exercise.

During the workshop, Poetavango recognised and awarded short story writers.

Seganabeng said this year’s Maun International Arts festival was a success although the event was not big compared to the previous festivals due to inadequate budget.

“We had to scale down our event this year because of low budget and we focused much on activities such as workshops, visual arts exhibitions, comedy and awards,” he added.

Maun International Art Festival is a brain child of Poetavango, a non-profit movement based in Maun.

Every year it hosts the festival, which attracts performing poets, film makers and artists in Botswana and across the world.

The main purpose of the festival is to promote the art of spoken and written poetry and word as well as the arts in general.

The event was supported by government through the Department of Arts and Culture. ENDS