01 Oct 2019

Maun Senior Secondary School students have been encouraged to take reading and writing seriously in order to become published writers.

A Maun Senior Secondary School art teacher, Legodile Seganabeng made the call at a handing over of books by Women Against Rape (WAR) at the school recently.

Seganabeng, who is a published writer of two books; novel and short stories, said it was possible through dedication and passion for one to become a published author in Botswana.

Even so, he pointed out that Botswana does have a conducive environment for writers and only those with determination would succeed.

“Botswana has a few published writers while there are many aspiring writers out there,” he said.

He said to become a writer, one should follow right steps and become an avid reader. 

Aspirant writers, he advised must read diverse books from all over the world and not only rely on social media.The books handed over by WAR, he said were a project that was meant to unearth potential of writing in students. 

Seganabeng noted that writing was an important tool that students could use to express themselves on matters that affected them.

When handing the books, WAR coordinator, Peggy Ramaphane said HIV/AIDS issues remained critical to adolescents and young people in Botswana.

She observed that the books titled, Anecdotes on Expressing Experiences Perspectives on Gender Based Violence, HIV/AIDS, Teenage Pregnancy and Parent and Child Communication Book 1 and Book 2, were written by some secondary school students across the country, who took part in the project led by WAR and supported by Global Fund.

She noted that two of the students were former Maun secondary school students, while two were still at the school.

Ramaphane noted that 20 secondary schools participated out of 10 districts in the country and that 40 girls published their stories.

She said through the books, students were able to make their voices heard in issues that affected them such as teenage pregnancy. Ends