During the National Book Month celebration held at the Thohoyandou library last week, local author Phophi Ndou won first prize in the poetry-reading competition.
"I was at the library and noticed there was a poetry reading competition going on, so I decided to take it on. Competitors were given a few minutes to prepare themselves beforehand. I just gathered up my confidence and battled it out with the other two competitors," said Ndou, who is from Mauluma village, Zone 4.
The event was hosted by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture under the theme Reading for Healing and Transformation.
This is not the first time Ndou has shown her skills. In September, she released a book called Murafho wo vhilinganaho (messed-up generation), which took her only three months to write.
Ndou's passion for educational competitions started way back when she was still in her primary and secondary school years and wrote her own speeches for debate competitions.
"I feel very blessed [in] winning this competition. There was very little time to prepare but I made it. It gave my self-confidence a good boost," she said.
According to Mpho Jerry Pooe, the project manager of the event, the celebration focused on working with the youth to improve their level of literacy, raise critical consciousness and encourage critical thinking.