Celebrating 40 years of Staffrider

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The writers and readers in Vhembe District wiill meet to celebrate the 40 years of Staffrider literary magazine's legacy.

The event takes place on Saturday (tomorrow) at the main hall of the Thulamela Main Library in Thohoyandou, and is the initiative of Guyo Buguni in Louis Trichardt.

The event's organiser and manager at Guyo Buguni, Mr Maano Tuwani, said that Staffrider started publishing in 1978. "I was part of the contributors and distributors (sellers) of the literary magazine and I enjoyed being in that literary movement, which encouraged writers to read and write, and people of all ages to read and reflect," he said.

Staffrider was one of the best-known literary magazines ever to come out of this country during the apartheid era. It borrowed its name and image from township slang for black youths who rode the over-crowded African sections of the racially segregated commuter trains by hanging onto the outside or sitting on the roofs.

"It created a space for writers to contribute pieces and hone their writing skills while it created a strong readership through initiating book clubs that spread throughout the country," he said. "It had also published works by graphic artists and photographers.”

The magazine was more than just a print publication but an institution in that it had helped build up a number of writer's groups. "Guyo Book Club was one of the most active of the more than 20 writer's groups," he remembered.

Tuwani stated that the participation invitation was extended to members of public in Vhembe District and beyond, where readers would read some selections of poems and other literary pieces from a collection of Staffrider's past publications.

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.