Prolific author raises a need for huge dose of black consciousness

As a way of celebrating Heritage and Black Consciousness month as September is regarded in some political circles, the Timbuktu Book and Reading Club in Polokwane hosted a session at Capricorn District Municipality’s council chamber last Thursday evening.
The gathering was addressed by prolific writer and former Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, who shared with the audience some of his life experiences and also touched on several issues in the country. With reported attacks on foreign nationals and gender-based violence allegedly happening in South Africa, Mangena expressed fear that a bloodbath may result if these issues are not dealt with urgently. He said black consciousness was necessary because no race group has been more oppressed more than Africans. He further said black people suffered for a long time to an extent that when they see a lot of anything they only think for themselves rather than sharing.
Mangena stressed that the attacks that are happening in the country simply show that Africans have lost respect for themselves. He highlighted that South Africa does not have a direction because the country is not pursuing a specific path. He added that the long debates are paralysing the country as he mentioned that South Africa had to act instead of engaging in long debates. Mangena added that the country must believe on something authentic and stick to it in order to succeed. When addressing the struggles of black authors, Mangena said one needs to have a reputable name in order to get published.
“It is worrying that black people with ‘names’ get their books written by white people because they have access to the publishing industry. We have a lot to do as a people. Back in the days we used to read books written in African languages but it is difficult to publish such books these days because white people are dominating the publishing sector,” Mangena explained.
Two members of the Timbuktu Book and Reading Club, Sello Mabotja and Molebatse Masedi wrote that nourishing minds through voracious reading of informatively relevant text was one of the many ways in which Africans can be part of the solution. No society can survive and gain competitive advantage in any sphere without promoting access to knowledge and information, they reckoned. The duo went on to highlight that in a quest to embrace lifelong learning and use reading as an effective tool to foster social cohesion, people must read all genres of literature voraciously. They concluded by saying people should not allow anyone to hide wisdom from them by putting it in a form of a book.

Story/photos: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za