For a community to prosper, a lot of factors have to be nurtured from a young age. One of the fundamental factors is to get young people to embrace education, and this is exactly the spirit Vhakololo Press is instilling in the youth.
On Saturday, 10 September, the publisher hosted the Rine Book Festival at the Makhado Christian Centre in Madombidzha. The event was attended by the Makhado Municipality, young writers, learners and Madombidzha residents.
Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho, director of Vhakololo Press and the brains behind the event, encouraged the community, and especially the youth, to make reading a fashion. "I really encourage children to cultivate a culture of reading books. If they read fictional books outside the confines of the school curriculum, they are likely to acquire a greater knowledge," he said.
Mukwevho said that, although Litshovhu Secondary had a library, the library seriously needed to be updated with new books, especially from young writers.
Representing the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Cedric Malange welcomed the initiative. "We have never had a book festival before. I am sure this will assist to instilling a sense of reading in our youth and, at the same time, take the youth off the streets," he said.
Takalani Lishivha (30) was among the young writers who encouraged her peers not to be discouraged by their poor background. Lishivha, who grew up in the care of a single parent, always felt something was missing in her own life. This led her to pen down a book of poems in Venda, called Khayila Lufuno. She says that each poem's message differed, some portraying pain, while others projected happiness.
Gumani Matshisevhe (25) decided to write a book, called Be the driver of your life, after closely observing how prosperous people manage to get through their hardships. "It will not get you anywhere if you always blame someone else for your own life. It all starts with changing your perspective, and positive things will follow," he said.