Readers and writers expo cultivates literary culture

Several years ago there was a storm in a teacup when one newspaper social commentator described Batswana as a people who do not read widely, bemoaning the poor literary culture in our social landscape. Sidney Sebifilo concurs with this sentiment, and points out that this is what spurred him to put together the first ever Readers and Writers Expo, which was held on November 11 and 12 at Railpark mall in Gaborone.

Sebifelo said that the expo was not only a platform for the country’s writers to display their work but also another way of promoting a culture of learning among Batswana. The expo attracted authors and publishing companies who exhibited their work. There was also a four-hour seminar where experts in the publishing and writing world dished out advice to aspirant writers.

Seminar coach Boago Ramogapi said that the expo was a step in the right direction towards developing and growing a reading culture in the country. He noted that through reading, it was possible to enter the authors mind and thus learn about different experiences and happenings that could add value to one’s life. Minister of Basic Education Unity Dow, who is also a published writer, spoke about her own experiences as writer and gave tips to upcoming writers.

She pointed out that as a writer a lot of the times one’s first book would be about themselves but one should be careful of this because at the end of the day the idea is to attract people who will like the book enough to buy it and so content should be appealing. She also advised writers to be mindful of their target market and use the appropriate language suitable for their intended audience.

Another speaker, Emang Bokhutlo, editor of The Voice newspaper did not mince words when talking about the necessity to use words relevant to whatever it is that a person’s writing about. She emphasised on how in the fast paced world we live in it has become important to write on issues that were gripping and had the ability to grab one’s attention from the get go. “People are too busy too busy to read long and boring things so your writing must be concise but also interesting,” she said.

The writers who attended this event could not hide their joy at being given an opportunity to interact with established writers and publishers in order to better understand what a career as a writer entails. A young poet Bame Letsomo said the expo had been an eye-opener. “It was fantastic to learn from those who are already in the industry and also interact and exchange ideas with colleagues who also want to become accomplished writers or publishers,” she said.