Ashes and fractured moments is a dedication to Moses Mtileni
Mtileni was a scholar, a philosopher and a great thinker according to Phepheng
Author Maruping Phepheng wrote the book, ‘Ashes and fractured moments’ under very difficult circumstances because the book was a dedication to his friend Moses Mtileni who meant a lot to him.
At the same time, he aims to empower readers because Mtileni left a legacy which needs to be shared.
Mtileni was a scholar, a philosopher and a great thinker according to Phepheng.
Phepheng explained that it was the first time that he has written poems.
According to Serame Icebound Makhele, a writer and a spoken word performer, the book is a mourning and a celebration.
“It is a work of poetry that moves and that emotes, that honours. Indeed our brother Mtileni will surely be with us forever through Phepheng musings. The poems have been organised from a place of sadness, a place of sadness within which the reader is ushered into fields of hope and love,” said Makhele.
The poems have been titled numerically in Setswana and Xitsonga, an amazing and unique way indicative of the bond between Phepheng a Motswana and Mtileni a Motsonga (nngwe-one in Setswana, mbiri-two in Xitsonga).
The pieces are 36 in total, a number that details Mtilen’s age when he passed away in the winter of 2019.
“Through ashes and fractured moments, I will continue to mourn and celebrate the life of that young icon called Moses Mtileni, a man who remains my brother and someone I looked up to,” said Phepheng.
Author and publisher Thabiso Mofokeng say the book is a timely intervention that does not serve to recall moments both cherished and enduring between people who meant a lot to each other, but also to appreciate what a great man Moses Mtileni was.
For many of us, Mtileni was a flame that kept our candles lit and so many ways we see, clearly because it was not possible to know Mtileni and not by that fact become a better person.
Through the book, Phepheng correctly places Mtileni among the giants who must never be forgotten.
The book was launched officially on Wednesday, July 8 and copies are available at R200 a copy.
Email address:Maruping.phepheng@gmail.com
Twitter handle: @MP_Author
Face book page: Maruping Phepheng
