Dear SA writers, write more fiction and shy away from ‘current affairs’ titles

When the phrase “African writers” is mentioned, I immediately think of my favourite writers.

The likes of, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Ben Okri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, NoViolet Bulawayo and Chinua Achebe. My bias is always towards Zimbabwean and Nigerian writers.

Over the years, their work has transcended their places of birth and has even become part of the literature curriculum in academia globally.

Of course, they are not the only ones. Bessie Head’s work has garnered global recognition. You mention the books, Maru or A Question of Power, and people already know who you are talking about.

In my life as a voracious reader, I have hardly been attracted to South African writers. Generally, their fictional and non-fictional offerings have been less attractive. However, I have appreciated the likes of Fred Khumalo, Ndumiso Ngcobo and Paige Nick, with their humorous columns in the respective newspapers.

I religiously buy those newspapers just to read their 500- to 700-word pieces.

Nevertheless, I found some local gems. Kopano Matlwa’s books, Period Pains, Coconut and Spilt Milk were such pleasant reads for me. To my surprise, as an insatiable fiction reader, I thoroughly enjoyed Sisonke Msimanga’s two books, Always Another Country: A Memoir of Exile and Home and The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela.

My book collection, which is fairly sizeable, is 10% of non-fictional writing. But those were too well-written to be put down before finishing.

Nthikeng Mohlele, Zakes Mda and Mohale Mashigo are other South African writers that give me hope about the future of our writing.

My plea to African writers, especially South African writers, is to expand their creative writing and give us more fictional work. Today, when you walk into a book store and head straight to the African writers section, you are overwhelmed by current affairs titles; Bosasa, State Capture, Ramaphosa, The ANCYL, The Guptas, Zuma’s presidency years and so on.

For months on end, we have had the Zondo Commission of Inquiry being televised. The live feeds are more interesting than any book . Such content, with predictions or prophecies, are troublesome in the long run. These books are about what is trending at the moment and when the topic dies down, they become irrelevant.

On the other hand, fiction can be very timeless. The characters can be anything and anyone. It all depends on the writer and their goal.

However, the non-fictional stories are equally important. They serve the curiosity about issues that are far from us. For instance, to know more about countries such as Libya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Egypt and Ethiopia, just to name a few, we need to get factual writings to paint a picture for us. We need writings that are going to enlighten and educate us about such places and their leaders, such as Muammar Gaddafi and Samora Machel.

On 7 November, we celebrated International African Writers Day, 29 years of celebrating the establishment of the Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA). African writers have made serious strides in the global writing space.

It is a very auspicious day because telling African stories is critical. May we also see books of young and inspiring African writers, like Kagiso Modibana from Botswana and Ace Moloi from the Free State, go beyond their places of birth.

Rise, Pan African writers, rise!

Kabelo Chabalala.

Kabelo Chabalala is the founder and chairperson of the Young Men Movement (YMM), an organisation that focuses on the reconstruction of the socialisation of boys to create a new cohort of men. Email, kabelo03chabalala@gmail.com; Twitter, @KabeloJay; Facebook, Kabelo Chabalala

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