Part 5

The best writing is not about the writer, the best writing is absolutely not about the writer, it's about us, it's about the reader. ~Ben Okri 

We the readers have spoken: writing is about us. That said, the exciting part to #Epigraph is that it was written by readers, and yes, they also read my books. I will just leave this to dry here.

Thank you for reading and sharing the blog. Thank you for the messages and anticipation for the publishing of this #LiteraryMixtape. A few more weeks then we’re home.

Ladies, gentlemen and spiritual fathers, I have the honour of presenting to you the last two of the contributors in #Epigraph – My Heart Is My Alibi:

7. Lulamile Sifuba

Who is (YOU)?

Lulamile Sifuba

How old are you?

26 years old.

When did the writing begin?

 In 2004 but I never nurtured it, until the inception of Facebook.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I listen to music, listen to sermons, read, indulge on delicacies and chill with friends.

What are your superpowers?

I'm observant, I'm a thinker and I have a good memory.

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

If you look at the media industry, you'll notice that most songsters/songstress come from the church, which by far it’s what the church has managed to produce - musicians. As a pastor I want to bring evolution, particularly between religion(ministry) and arts.

Who/what inspires you?

Nature inspires me.  Pastor JX Nzo, Masingita Masiya, Galileo Galilei - succinctly, anyone who introduced evolution to the world

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I have a beautiful handwriting

Favourite writer/s?

E. W. Kenyon, Masingita Masiya, Jim Palmer, Francois Du Toit, W. Paul Young.

Favourite book/s?

The Shack, New Creation Realities, Home Before February, Wide Open Spaces, Divine Embrace.

How do you translate your passion?

I don't have a fixed way of translating my passion – most of the time I live that to casual observers.

What kind of books do you want to read?

I want to read books that will express the honesty of a human heart or human emotion.

Where can we find you on social networks?

Facebook: Lulamile Luzga Sifuba

Twitter: @LulamileSifuba

Google+:  Lulamile Sifuba

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

Never heard of it.

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

Partially, yes. Writing Epigraph is part of my life purpose - in a few days time I can proudly say "I'm a published author". Also, being a minister is purpose-fulfilling for me – seeing people’s lives being transformed for the better and knowing that you were an instrument to the transformation of those people is priceless. 

8. Vincent Malatsi

Who is (YOU)?

Vincent Malatsi, I'm full of love.

How old are you?

30

When did the writing begin?

When my grade 9 English teacher couldn’t mark my essay and she wrote with a red pen at the bottom, “please stop using bombastic words”. Since then, I purposed to be a better writer.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

People say I'm a great preacher, so, I do some preaching gigs here and there. I'm a freelance apostle.

What are your superpowers?

When your powers are combined, I am Captain Planet!

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

To take it one step at the time. Writing that transforms the mind is my heartbeat. I will write to set the African mind free, especially bazalwane.

Who/what inspires you?

God

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I don't think Batman is a real superhero, he has a lot of gadgets instead.

Favorite writer/s?

Steven R Covey, Frank Viola, George Barna and James M Houston.

Favorite book/s?

Lately, I'm intrigued by Pagan Christianity?

How do you translate your passion?

I prefer a translator

What kind of books do you want to read?

Theosophical, Leadership development, and the kinds that expose conspiracies. I'm lately developing interest for politics too.

Where can we find you on social networks?

Facebook: Vincent S Mmusakgosi Malatsi

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

Didn't Jesus turn water into Oros?

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

Dude! I thought we're trying to put a book together here.

Your Word Is King,

MMM

masingita@lefokolakgosi.co.za 

Part 4

“Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.” ―Chinua Achebe

Are we in conversation as yet? Are we eating? Yes? No? Maybe?

If you have been following previous posts and are still hoping for a sane writer within Epigraph, kindly surrender. Today’s pair is not different from the previous four. These kids need help, mentally.

Anyhow, with every passing week, excitement escalates and I can’t wait until you finally have the ebook in your reader. Yes, we won’t be doing print this time around, so, prepare data and find yourself an ebook reader – it can be your smart phone, iPhone, iPad, tablet and spiritual eyes, kidding.

Ladies, gentlemen and spiritual fathers, I present to you writer number 5 and writer number 6:

5. Prudence Ndala

Who is YOU?

I am a blue stone, not a ruby, just a normal pebble that was personified when there was no human available to write.

How old are you?

I am 22 years, 1 month and 13 days old (at the time of the interview).

When did the writing begin?

I started writing when I started getting bullied by some ghouls – sorry, I mean girls.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I am trying to figure out what I shouldn’t write about, and praying.

What are your superpowers?

I can drink as much coffee as my parents will let me, even more when they’re not watching. And I speak pain.

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

In less than twenty years, people will only be watching movies adapted from books and read books only written in blue... I’m fast? I know.

Who/what inspires you?

I’m inspired by Christ, hysteria and pain. Even coffee

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I’m actually not a writer. I was sent here to make my parents proud by staying away from drugs. So, now I drink coffee. I’m also very familiar with the unfamiliar.

Favourite writer/s?

Jodi Piccoult, Francine Rivers, whoever writes Goosebumps, Paul – the guy who got hit by lightning ‘cause he was bullying Christians (yea take that, bullies), Masingita Mzilikazi Masiya – him because he is the only person who knows how to give names to my feelings and stuff better than I do.

Favourite book/s?

King James Bible, Nineteen Seconds, Mercy, Envy, Goosebumps 1 to hundred and Home Before February.

How do you translate your passion?

Passion evades me. I’m driven by pain.

What kind of books do you want to read?

I want to read books that have a happy resolve, not ending.

Where can we find you on social networks?

Twitter: @stonecasspir

Facebook: BlueStone Ndala

Blog: prue09.wordpress.com

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

Yes! You can only speak goodness with an Oros-stained tongue.

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

I think I am doing a lot by staying alive. God has shown me that I’m a flight risk so He keeps me around by giving me words. Mine is to write.

6. Patamedi Jonathan Lebea

All resemblance to both Clark Kent and Superman is circumstantial. They want to look like me.

Who is YOU?

I is Patamedi Jonathan Lebea. I am, apparently, a writer. I am pedi by blood, yet white by accent and associations.

How old are you?

I am 26 years and 8 days old (at the time of the interview).

When did the writing begin?

*cues the violins* Honestly, I was an unattractive unpopular young boy who wrote everything down because he could never articulate it to the rest of the attractive and popular society.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I would LOVE to say reading, but my life is too erratic and chaotic. So what I do mostly is think, laugh and attempt to dance.

What are your superpowers?

Telekinesis. I have the ability to move objects with my mind. A time will come when I prove this to you. Then, I will move you, with only my mind.

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

To make the world question its 'normal' and its 'logical', finally bringing all logic and reason into disrepute then presenting my truth as the solution.

Who/what inspires you?

God inspires me. To think that there is an almighty limitless God I believe in, who, at the same time, believes in me and my ridiculous dreams? Wow.

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I think I.

Favourite writer/s?

E'skia Mphahlele, Can Themba, J.M Coetzee, Masingita Mzilikazi Masiya (NO! I AM NOT SUCKING UP... But hey, if there are benefits to this...)

Favourite book/s?

Disgrace, Down 2nd Avenue, The Will To Die, Is it Coz I'm Black, The Right To Mourn, Wild at Heart.

How do you translate your passion?

With an online dictionary.

What kind of books do you want to read?

Books I cannot predict but can relate to. Books that seem to read me and interpret themselves

Where can we find you on social networks?

Twitter: @PatamediLebea

Facebook: Patamedi Jonathan Lebea (facebook)

I forgot my mxit pin but I'm probably there too under a pseudonym that woulda made sense to my teenage-self.

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

*takes a sip from his glass* I guess, we'll just never know...

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

Purpose? (Laughs) Not yet. My life's purpose as it stands is merely to have one.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s episode.

PS. Thank you for sharing the blog with others. You are awesomated.

Your Word Is King,

MMM

masingita@lefokolakgosi.co.za

Part 3

“Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am - and what I need - is something I have to find out myself.” ― Chinua Achebe

I still echo that this bunch of writers is genuinely crazy, as evidenced by the previous post. Crazy, yes, and great still – multi-taskers. I wish I could say it was the pressure to make deadlines that made them this crazy, but I would be taking undue credit because I found them as is. I am starting to sound crazy right? See what I mean?

Together with minds lost, a succinct part to #Epigraph is eight people individually telling you that they have found themselves, they are still looking, they haven’t begun or that they don’t know that they should be searching. Their heart’s alibis – their stories – are as brave as they tell them through the pages that you will soon be losing yourselves in. I couldn’t even begin to teach them how to write when they said they don’t think they are writers, but I only wished I had learned how to write before I learned how to speak. #Epigraph tarries…

Without further delay, here are the third and fourth contributors to this literary mixtape…

3. Naledi Chirwa

Picture: New Color Photography

Who is (YOU)?

Ama! Mother of the nation.

How old are you?

20 years of age.

When did the writing begin?

I cannot recall the precise time but what I do remember is my mother being called in by my then fourth grade English teacher who was concerned about the long paragraphs I was writing for one-line-sentence homeworks.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I think about what to write the next time I write. I portray a character that fits the call for that day and time.

What are your superpowers?

Telekinesis (laughs).

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

...my secret.

Who/what inspires you?

The process of making the known unknown and vice versa, and that’s in everything that I see, feel and imagine. I inspire myself.

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I am the first female president of South Africa.

Favourite writer/s?

Athol Fugard and Samuel Beckett

Favourite book/s?

Beckett’s waiting for Godot and Fugard’s Boesman and Lena.

How do you translate your passion?

I don’t. If I do it, then it is my passion as it is.

What kind of books do you want to read?

Books that have real people from real places with real situations that life borrows us in it.

Where can we find you on social networks?

 Twitter: @NalediChirwa

Facebook: Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

I used to rid the taste of Castor Oil with it. Yes, my grandma was a pioneer!

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

Yes! I am alive.

4. Khayalethu Ngoma

Who is YOU? 

Khaya is a man who operates in a world that can not operate without him. That world is the space between atmosphere and utmost fear.

How old are you? 

Turning 27 this year.

When did the writing begin?

It hasn't.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I watch Two And A Half Men, listen to Burning Spear, but ultimately I design spaces, shapes and colours.

What are your superpowers?

I have the ability to do what I hate and do it very well.

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

...to expose hypocrites.

Who/what inspires you?

Jesus' humility.

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I am the space between this question and the answer thereof. The world should know!

Favourite writer/s?

The authour of Ecclesiastes. Whoever he is.

Favourite book/s?

Excluding EPIGRAPH? Ecclesiastes.

How do you translate your passion?

I create spaces where comfort and function take place.

What kind of books do you want to read?

Books that are filled with honest and creative opinions.

Where can we find you on social networks?

Facebook: Khaya Ngoma

Twitter: @KhayaNgoma

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

It has powers?

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

Yes I am. I believe I was brought into this world to be a relationship expert - the relationship between time and place; shape and colour; question and solution, and that is exactly what I am doing.

Let your chanas’ chanas know that we’re coming out with words blazing.

Your Word Is King,

MMM

masingita@lefokolakgosi.co.za

Part 2

Writers aren’t people exactly. Or, if they’re any good, they’re a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person. ~F.  Scott Fitzgerald

Ladies and gentlemen, I unashamedly concur with Scotty where the eight contributors of Epigraph – My Heart Is My Alibi are concerned. Today I publicly admit that at times it felt as if it were three of each writer I was dealing with. They are a legion of Biblical proportions. Sigh, pray for me and my sanity. However, should you be Thomas and need proof in this regard, this blog will have you agreeing with me.

Irrespective, I love what they think and write. I think beauty gets her courage from the ink that flows from these souls.

I secretly hope that one day when history speaks about the African rhetoric, whether Johannesburg is included or excluded, he would pause for a moment and mention their names with glee and pride pointing to this point – #Epigraph.

More information on the book will unfold with coming dawns.

Without further delay, here are today’s two contributors…

1. Mbali Mavundla

Who is YOU?

Mbali Mavundla is a young woman who grew up wanting to be a painter but somehow ended up writing poems. She spilled the paint, grabbed a pen and found herself lost in words. Diving in black ink has never been so beautiful.

How old are you?

I am 21 years old and somehow getting younger.

When did the writing begin?

I started writing when I was fourteen years old. It was still oh so innocent then but so much has changed since. Life has happened in more ways than one.

When you are not writing what do you do?

I keep a lot of audio books. I flood myself with other peoples’ thoughts and learn what life has not yet taught me. I once tried to take guitar lessons, and broke my French manicure. Now I listen to others play. Guitar strings have a way of catching me like fishnets.

What are your superpowers?

When I open my mouth I make people cry. Tears are magic, and I will never know whether it;’s good or bad. I make them listen, smile. Sometimes they laugh, with me or at me.

Your grand plan to take over the world is?

The moral re-generation of young people. I want to teach everyone that knowledge does not by any chance fall from the sky. READ! If each and every one of us reads something, anything, the world alone would be a better place. I want to teach people how to read poems. I want the world to remember me to have said words they wouldn’t normally have said or heard on any given day. I aspire to be quoted as much as Shakespeare, to be a renowned writer and have one of my works studied in schools some day.

Who or what inspires you?

“Brown boys” inspire me. I heard someone say once, “coffee-coloured gentlemen”, and I knew exactly what that meant. Being born with two boys before me, I learnt what it meant to be loved by a man should be like. I saw them break their backs just to keep me safe (and they say their backs are not broken). The love they gave me at home keeps me grounded and inspired to go out there and do better than most. It is all that has ever made sense to me.

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I don’t like girls.

Your favorite writer(s)

Chinua Achibe, Andrea Gibson and Shane Koyczan.

Favorite Book(s)

State of Emergency and Lord Of The Flies.

How do you translate your passion?

I think you have to be so lost in something so deep that you want to tell a story about it so bad – write about it, tell someone about it or scream it out somehow, but it just has to come out. For me, it’s pain, loss, grief and everything in between that persuades me. I write when I hurt.

What kind of books do you want to read?

I’m a hopeless romantic, so, I want to read about love – finding love, losing love, chasing love, loving love… but I hate happy endings.

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

Same way I believe in mermaids.

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

I am too young to have achieved everything I have on my bucket list

Where can we find you in social networks?

Facebook : Mbali Mavundla

Twitter : @FabianiRose

2. Joy Bongani Mathebula

New Color Photography

Who is YOU?

My name is Joy Bongani Mathebula. I grew in the quiet and beautiful streets of Ekangala. I am a thinker, a strategist, a lover of beauty, a guitarist, a businessman and a family man.

How old are you?

I am 10032 days old.

When did the writing begin?

I was in Grade 9 I think, year 2000.

When you are not writing, what do you do?

I spend most of my time thinking. I bribed some people when I was young to tell me I was smart and that I have a beautiful mind, so, that has stayed with me. I live in the mind, so when I am not writing I am thinking and then some time is spent regretting that I didn’t write those thoughts down.

What are your superpowers?

I have the ability to make people laugh even in times when laughter is not welcomed. And sometimes, when I choose to, I make people think; those that have spent countless hours studying my life say I see life from a very unique angle.

Your grand plan to take over the world is…?

Hahaahahaa!! You want to steal it, you idiotic idiot.

Who/what inspires you?

Excellence. I can’t ignore excellence; anything or person that goes and turns mere mediocrity to excellence. I have so many people on my list, from Leornardo Da Vinci all the way to Homer Simpson. I can’t ignore excellence.

Any random thing you want to tell us?

I am in love with a mzalwaneeeee (R Kelly’s voice).

And yes, I love cars, by cars I mean BMW.

Favourite writer/s?

Ravi Zacharias, Siphokazi Cebekhulu, Roald Dahl  and St Paul.

Favourite book/s?

The book of Hebrews, The Lotus and the Cross, The Google Story. They are too many to mention.

How do you translate your passion?

Passion fruit, Sminoff Ice… It’s the same thing really; they all take you to hell.

What kind of books do you want to read?

Biographies. I love analysing each person’s patterns, their rise to greatness and mistakes, and just mirror those with my current steps. I am a student at heart.

Where can we find you on social networks?

Facebook: Joy Bongani Mathebula

Twitter: @joymathebula

Do you believe in the power of Oros?

Tragic story, really. He was so young.

Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?

I am still in pursuit. I have set foot on some parts of the portion of the farm marked for me, but there is more to discover. The more you think you have found it, the more you become aware of other terrains. So, I am still discovering.

Thank you for taking the time to meet the first two of these eight amazicians and for sharing this blog and helping us make #Epigraph the talk of the town.

Love,

MMM

Part 1

Scene from the movie Gladiator

I collect whispers and anchor memories in the sand after I have cleaned the hour glass. I am a connoisseur of moments and words, a seed whose genealogy is of scribes who did not just alter lines to hammer phrases, but scribes who permitted meaning to mean something.

For the passing two years, it’s been in my heart to publish literary mixtapes – collections of ordered or random writings that I can load online and release to the public to consume. I’ve sought for a way to enlist myself to consistent writing and even blogging hasn’t helped. Yeah, I’ve been ill-disciplined. The coin flips – on the other hand of this ill-discipline, I have been reading, quite a lot actually, but not as much as I know I can. I have ravaged all sorts of books, a few research materials, social network links, body language, random prophet what-what pamphlets, Facebook status updates, tweets, chain messages and shorthand massacres aka “hy,:hud,wud;”, sic. I have prayed against the latter and have asserted that “it is well with my soul”, as long you don’t text me in that regard.

With two books published (THE RIGHT TO MOURN and HOME BEFORE FEBRUARY) and still relatively unknown, some reading I did back then caught my attention and inspired this literary mixtape I am introducing to you. The reading seemed to suggest that the South African book industry tends to favour authors with reference – this might easily mean being well-known, having had written for known magazines, blogs and newspapers, and the likes. In order for people to buy your books, you need to be heard of, so the article seemed to suggest.

The idea of a literary mixtape started to appeal more to me, but now I wanted to extend it to include other writers. Through Lefoko La Kgosi Publishing, I saw us giving unpublished writers a reference and also facilitating a meeting place for dynamic writers with the reading public. The great thing about this is that I also see LLK publishing follow-up books from the very same writers. That’s how good their writing is. You can even ask the paper that allows them to write on. This literary mixtape is simply titled Epigraph – My Heart Is My Alibi.

Wikipedia defines #Epigraph as “a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional context.” For the purposes of this initiative, Epigraph will be an ebook containing short writings from different writers. Every writer is required to submit their heart’s alibi – the proof of a pen that riddles the walls of their hearts. They can write on any topic and in any style. The writers are restricted by wordcount, since an epigraph is normally short. The ebook will be made available for free download to the public. Though free, I guarantee you that what you will read is costly.

For Volume 1 of #Epigraph, I have been privileged to interact with a number of great thinkers whose writings have come to impact me in ways unimaginable. I have come to love them and their thoughts and their writing styles. I have come to revere them. I have also come to see the need for their thoughts to be heard, or read rather, thus they will be the first writers to be featured in this literary mixtape. I am already having a hard time choosing a favourite #Epigraph because all of them are that good. I call this literary mixtape a collection of whispers.

Let us meet here over the coming weeks and come meet the writers whose contributions to #Epigraph will soon be in the hands of all with tablets, ereaders, pcs and phones, and a penchant for new writers and good writing.

More information will unfold with coming dawns.

Love,

MMM

#Epigraph