A circle of magical words

Embracing the magic of words, Leave No Girl Behind International (LNGBI) Book Exchange Club hosted its first poetry and short story reading last Saturday.

The event at Favourite Office National, was one that opened doors to a world of new possibilities.

Haseena and Shameema Patel, founders of LNGBI and the book exchange club, said the poetry and reading was an ideal way to extend the book club.

“It would be for people who write to be able to share their work. We are hoping, if people are interested, we can form a word circle for writers and artists,”

Haseena said.

Aiming to have a monthly poetry and short story readings, the first event kicked off on a good note.

Aimie Hutton, a Canadian author, shared her story on Skype of how she had overcome health problems as a child.

“If I can give three tips to overcome anything in life, it would be to put one foot in front of the other and never stop moving towards your goal. Believe in yourself and finally, let others help you and ask for help. It takes team work to make dreams work,” she emphasised.

Nhlakanipho Msibi, a 16-year-old pupil of Newcastle High School, was officially the first person to recite a poem at the event.

Using his guitar, he addressed the various social ills teenagers faced in life..

“As young as I am, I can see the youth of today are lost and I want to make sense of it all,” he said.

Haseena also contributed to the event by reciting two poems about women empowerment.

Although not many people attended the first meeting, Haseena and Shameema are hoping the community will join them next month and bring the written word to life.