As a young girl growing up in the rural village of Mabila, Arinao Siphuma cherished the dream of one day publishing her written work. The 29-year-old professional nurse saw that dream come true when she launched her debut novel, Shambo la Shambo Langa, in September this year.
According to Siphuma, the book focuses on men's mental health, which she describes as a significant contributing factor to gender-based violence and familial killings.
"Over the years, we have witnessed so many incidents of gender-based violence, mostly perpetrated by men against women and children. We have lost relatives, parents, and friends unnecessarily through these actions. We have watched women and children being killed by people who are supposed to protect them. So many efforts have been made to stop this, but it seems as if it is a lost battle. My main goal is for this to come to an end, and we as a community hold the keys," she said.
Siphuma believes her book serves as both a handbook and a solution to this scourge. "I want to motivate men to talk and seek help when they are facing challenges. Men's mental health should take centre stage, and this will reduce the scourge," she said.
She explained that she started writing years ago to gather enough material for a book. However, finding a publisher was one of her main challenges. It was only while studying that she met other writers who assisted her in bringing her work to life.
"Shambo la Shambo Langa is my greatest achievement and a milestone in my writing career. To me, being a writer means producing work that can impact people's lives, and that is what I am doing. I don't like talking too much; my pen does the talking," she said.
Siphuma also intends to write in both English and Tshivenda. The book is self-marketed, and she can be contacted at (072) 193-1728 or (073) 857-0897.