Mpalas writing breaks silence

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Mpalas writing breaks silence
Mpalas writing breaks silence

Africa-Press – Botswana. A haunting tale of pain has compelled Winnie Mpala to pen a novel titled Lea’s Secret addressing issues of rape, children bullying and mental abuse.

The novel chronicles the experiences of a young girl Lea, who was molested but concealed her ordeal.

Through the book, she wanted to shed light on how rape dehumanises victims, leaving them scarred and vulnerable as well, and through her book she attempts to bless and make a difference in someone’s life.

“Through this book, I also wanted to depict the hard work required for victims to break the silence and live their normal life,” said Mpala in an interview in Maun recently.

She said it was by the grace of the Lord that she managed to complete the book, noting that she had the edge to pen it despite her fears and anxieties that came with writing until she met South Africa based online counsellor, Gideon Smart who guided her and got the book off the ground.

Mpala, a teacher by profession and passionate writer revealed that the pain she experienced in life motivated her to publish the book which had brought total healing to her life.

Having been raped at the age of 11 during music competitions in 1981 and having to live with the secret, trauma and shame for years inspired her.

She said the incident haunted and stole her confidence and self-esteem.

“I did not talk about the incident until it happened to one of my relatives. The incidents affected our behaviour and how we related with other people,” she added.

Although she had a dream of writing a book to share her experience in 2011, she only managed to write few scripts and stopped because she was not ready to face her demons. Mpala noted that there were many emotional and psychological reactions that victims of rape and sexual assault could experience, saying one of the most common of these was depression.

Depression, she said was not a sign of weakness, adding that it was a serious mental health condition and survivors could often benefit from the help of a professional.

When she met the professional counsellor on line and got help, she broke the silence and disclosed her ordeal, appreciating that the counsellor monitored and pushed her to the book’s completion in 2021.

The novel is likely to take the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions, as Lea finds herself frustrated and traumatised by being pregnant with a rapist’s child, which sees her life crumbling.

The emotions become more overwhelming when she finds it a mammoth task to share her ordeal.

Mpala said through the novel, she wanted to depict the hard situations women went through and to motivate them not to blame themselves because it was not their fault.

“I am hopeful the message will touch many and help them not to choose to die in silence because of violence.

They should understand that their voice is their power, hence they should speak out to get help,” she added.

The book, she said, also carries a strong message on bullying at schools, noting that a lot of pupils who were bullied often fell threatened and powerless.

Bullying, she said, could lead to long-lasting psychological, emotional and physical trauma, hence it was critical to combat it.

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