Karabo shares his life’s journey through poetry

Primrose resident Karabo Phaswana (34) has changed, evolved and matured in the 19 years since he began writing poetry in his home town of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

The soft-spoken well-mannered Karabo visited the GCN last Wednesday to share his journey from a 15-year-old boy writing poems about love, to a self-published author.

Karabo moved to Limpopo in 2015 to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology before moving to Germiston just over a year and a half ago.

Currently working as a health and safety officer, Karabo recently released a book of poetry entitled Time’s Momentum.

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The inspiration for the book comes from Karabo’s everyday life and his experiences.

“I began writing and collecting poetry for the book 19 years ago,” he explained.

“From a young man who wore his heart on his sleeve and fell easily in and out of love to a more spiritual and wiser man.

“I feel expressing myself through poetry is the best thing I could have ever done.”

Taking his poems from a rough manuscript to a published book took Karabo about a year.

He made the decision to self-publish, and though he says this was a difficult process, he found it very rewarding.

“You learn a lot through self-publishing,” he explained.

“I found every step of the process exciting, from manuscript to editing, selecting a font and cover and printing.

“However, I think it is important to have a clear image in your mind of what you want the end product to be when you start your journey.”

When asked how he felt when he held the first printed copy of his book in his hand, Karabo described it in one word – surreal.

“It felt surreal,” he said.

“People around me were excited, but I still couldn’t believe it was real and I had done it.

“It has now sunk in.

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“My late father wrote a book, but was never able to have it published,” he explained.

This also spurred on his future plans, which include opening a company with his friend Abram Kgare, which will help inspiring writers get their work published.

“Approaching a publishing house, even when you are self-publishing, is daunting,” he said.

“It is a scary process.

“We want to make writing and publishing more accessible to the man on the street.”

In addition, Karabo is excited to be ghostwriting a book entitled When the Morning Comes for the Suppressed and helping to put together a book of poems from female poets, entitled My Sister’s Diary.

When asked if he feels children and young adults should be encouraged to read and write from a young age, he said, “Yes, it is vitally important.

“The things they learn early can help influence and inspire them as they go forward in life and unlock the potential of future authors and poets.”

If you would like to get a copy of Karabo’s book, you can visit Books Alive in Edenvale or Xarra Books in Midrand. Alternatively, you can send an email to Karabo at karabophaswana2@gmail.com or call 060 310 4564.

Karabo can also be found on Facebook (TimesMomentumboo), Twitter and Intagram (@TimesMomentum).

Be sure to attend the South African Book Fair:

Reading is not a chore but a pleasure and we should remember that this National Book Week, which is from September 2 to 8.

The South African Book Fair (#SABF2019) will be held during this week from September 6 to 8, at the Women’s Jail on Constitution Hill at 11 Kotze Street in Johannesburg.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za

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