Activist on forefront of authentic stories
A few authors are able to share their talents across serious topics, light topics and inspirational writing, better yet, a few authors can do all this while being self-published.
Although initially dabbling in poetry, Zanele Dlamini has fashioned herself into an acclaimed writer with a series of authored books under her belt.
Writing has always been an innate passion as she started writing poetry in high school and had always been an avid reader before then. Dlamini made an official jump into writing with the children’s book, Sindi and the Moon, which was released in 2015 in collaboration with Bookdash.
This was followed by her debut novel, Plumeria, in 2016, The Rainbow Cloud: The story of Mkabayi and Mmama in collaboration with Bookdash, and her latest and best work thus far, Wounds of ignorance. Dlamini’s knack for telling untold stories has put her in a position to be one of few authors at the fore of authentic South African stories.
Although she is not a performing poet in traditional sense, Dlamini’s poetic writing has translated into acclaimed books. “Stories, or rather, wordplay is such a fascinating thing. “We can all read the same story and we can relate differently – that’s what I find fascinating about it.
I’ve heard instances where people actually interpreted certain things in the books that I’ve written in a way that I didn’t even think about during the writing process,” she said. The author was also one of the speakers on the South-African Book Fair’s stellar line-up.
The three-day event boasted a vault of literary-related issues that saw industry experts showcase work that entertains, educates and empowers – keeping in line with the fair’s mandate to spur a culture of reading in the country. “This year’s fair was amazing and out of this world.
It plays a huge role in terms of getting everyone into reading and promoting the culture of reading, the culture of books and also the culture of writing as well, because, it’s not just for reading but also aspiring writers and publishers,” Dlamini said.
The road travelled on for Dlamini was not at all easy as she had to juggle a full-time job with writing and being a self-published author before finally focusing all her energies into writing. “It’s been very challenging but at the same time a fulfilling journey which teaches you a lot and not just about the industry but also yourself – where your weak points are when it comes to money and when it comes to passion.
Yes, passion is lovely, but, make money out of it,” she said. She said she aims to contribute greatly to South-African literacy, with books that are relatable and affordable, especially to children. She believed that this would improve literacy rates and the love for reading for children. “As a writer, I really believe that we are activists. You can’t write something with no reason, it has to change someone’s life,” Dlamini concluded.
ALSO READ: Life after marriage
