Africa-Press – Angola. Writer Beni Dya Mbaxi, literary pseudonym of Bernardo Afonso, considered, in Luanda, that it was important for publishers to invest more in national literary production, as young people with a lot of creativity are emerging on the market.
In reaction to the prize won, on Sunday, in the “Young Writer” category, in the first edition of the 2022 Dipanda Prize, with the work “The Last Masoxi”, published in 2020, the writer did not hide his satisfaction and said it was a moment of much joy.
The winner stressed that the distinction shows some recognition of the works produced by the new generation of authors, in the field of literature, which motivates the youth to continue producing, in favor of the growth of Angolan literature.
In October of this year, Beni Dya Mbaxi received, at the Embassy of South Africa in Angola, the “Annual Global African Author Awards” trophy, referring to the 2021 edition, in the category of “Empowerment to Children”, with the work “The Last Masoxi”.
According to the writer, this prize has a special flavor, as it is a national recognition: “the flavor is different, nothing better than being valued in the land itself, however, I want to say that this prize is dedicated to young Angolan writers who produce contemporary literature”.
The writer recalled that the book “The Last Masoxi”, awarded in South Africa, with the “Global Prize for African Writers 2021”, was selected to compete in the category of Best Novel, of the “Mulher Forte African Literature Award”, at the Botswana.
The winner will be known in January 2023, through the vote of four juries. The prize is a tribute to Botswana writer Paula Otukile.
Adaptation for the theater
The book “The Last Masoxi” comes back to life on stage, in the play adapted by director Wengui Dias, which will be shown by students of the School of Arts of Fundação Arte e Cultura, on Friday, at 6 pm, in the Wiza auditorium, on the island of Luanda.
From the book to the stages, the show deals with the fight against sexual abuse and violence against children and adolescents. The plot is addressed just as in the book, about the story of an Angolan girl of only 11 years old, known as Masoxi, who suffers sexual abuse by her stepfather and is sometimes beaten for refusing to submit.
The plot brings to reflection the adventures experienced by Masoxi, as a result of the abandonment to which he was voted by his mother, who was a drug addict of sexual violence against minors and the importance of confronting, talking and discussing this problem.
Beni Dya Mbaxi, pseudonym of Bernardo Sebastião Afonso, was born in Luanda, in the municipality of Cazenga, on May 28, 1997. He is a Portuguese Language and Communication student at the Methodist University of Angola (UMA). He was distinguished with the “Revelation Writer of the year 2021” award at Moda Cazenga “By Luandina”.
Author of five published books, he wins his fourth literary prize, among them the “Annual Global African Authors Award”, 2021, in South Africa, for the work “The Last Masoxi”, “Honorable Mention” by the Municipal Library of Kilamba Kiaxi, “Revelation Writer”, from 2021, at Moda Cazenga by Luandina.
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