Bestseller award for Bedfordview’s Christian
Additionally, he also became the recipient of the AfriCAN Honoree Young Authors Award.
Bedfordview resident Christian Lukusa, the author of the anthology A Mental Resurrection, has landed himself the title of national bestseller as a self-published author.
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Additionally, he also became the recipient of the AfriCAN Honoree Young Authors Award.
Christian (26) is now looking forward to the success 2022 will bring him as he gets ready for his book to be published for schools around Africa.
“My book has been procured for distribution in secondary school libraries in the next financial year.”
Christian published his book during the lockdown to highlight the biggest issues facing young Africans.
“I wanted the book to give young people a sense of purpose.”
Christian has also released his book in French titled L’expression Étouffée.
“I have been consistently travelling between South Africa, the country that raised me, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country that birthed me for my book promotions.”
“The founder of the Kingdom Art Cultural Center based in the DRC is looking to scale the delivery of my book to other countries in Africa.”
He has also teamed up with an organisation, which aims to empower the youth in Africa with various skills, including the English language, computer skills and fitness.
“My journey has led me to a focus on education. Now, my second book that will be published next month is a pre-school book titled My Kindergarten Book for children in French-speaking countries to learn English at a younger age.”
His award-winning poetry book shares stories of hard-to-face societal issues, including suicide, depression, drug abuse, traditional masculinity, misogyny and xenophobia.
He said some stories come from his experiences at school and the experiences of people around him.
He believes school is where mental health issues begin for many people. “You are taught in school to be prim and proper with your uniform and to always have a smile on your face.
“However, many face personal difficulties, such as being abused at home.
“Others are pushed to perform or bullied and this has a dire effect on their lives forever,” he said.
In his 2020 interview with the NEWS, Christian said he started writing his book in 2019 when he wrote a poem for slain student Uyinene Mrwetyana.
He added that gender-based violence was highlighted in the media, and was a big influence for his book.
“For me, writing means healing. Some people cannot turn darkness into art, writing has become my art.”
Christian said he has been around many victims who inspire him to write and become an author.
“After publishing my book in the toughest throws of the pandemic, I knew I had to do everything to keep my faith.
“I lost loved ones to Covid-19 and I believe my story expresses God’s faithfulness,” Christian said.
He added that after suffering several losses, he felt the real-life impact of the pandemic.
But, it inspired him to keep pushing.
“If I was feeling down, there were many more people out there who felt exactly the same. Many of those would not have an artistic outlet for the way they felt. I needed to be their voice,” Christian said.
Along with his other endeavours lined up for 2022, Christian also plans to release two new books The Future Is Overrated and Are Men Trash Or Just Ill-Prepared?
Follow Christian on Instagram @christian_louk and Twitter @christianlouk
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