{"id":28834,"date":"2023-05-18T10:43:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T10:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/mohlomi-finds-fame-abroad"},"modified":"2023-05-18T11:24:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T11:24:12","slug":"mohlomi-finds-fame-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/mohlomi-finds-fame-abroad","title":{"rendered":"Mohlomi finds fame abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>Ntsane Mohlomi is known as a writer of reckon \u2013 but not in his own home country. The man from Ha-Lekholoane, Litsoetse, in Thaba-Tseka has received recognition in Zimbabwe, some 1 440 kilometres from Lesotho\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

One would be lucky to bump into literary works of local writers and Mohlomi is no exception. It was in Zimbabwe where he appears to have made his breakthrough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met somebody in charge of schools in Zimbabwe\u2019s Matabeleland region. I offered them some of my books,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted my books to be used locally but our education department has not been ready to harness them.<\/p>\n

I got some money from Hillside Teachers College in Zimbabwe for the use of my work, I also have Sesotho books being read in some of Zimbabwe\u2019s secondary schools,\u201d said Mohlomi.<\/p>\n

Mohlomi is a seasoned author who is following in the footsteps of renowned writers such as Thomas Mofolo. From the time he was attending primary school at Litsoetse Primary, Mohlomi was fond of reading different genres of literature.<\/p>\n

His love for reading deepened when he proceeded to Mohlanapeng Secondary School. By the time he got to upper secondary at Paray High School, Mohlomi felt that it was time to put pen on paper.<\/p>\n

He started writing his mind out, although none of his manuscripts got to be published due to lack of funds. \u201cI got inspiration to write at secondary school when I read the novel I Am David by Anne Holm.<\/p>\n

I was 16-years then and I was amazed to learn that the author of that book managed to publish only when she was in her early 20\u2019s. I wanted to emulate that and publish at an early age.<\/p>\n

\u201d Due to his deep passion for writing, Mohlomi has published several books. He also has a manuscript of the Sesotho dictionary, Sesiu sa Mantsoe a Sesotho, with a collection of over 260 000 words compiled over 1 218 pages.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have spent 24 years making a collection of Sesotho words for the dictionary.<\/p>\n

Due to the bulkiness of the pages I have never managed to make print-outs of the copies as they are costly. It\u2019s sad that traditional publishing companies don\u2019t meet writers halfway.<\/p>\n

They only publish you if you cater for all costs that cover the production. \u201d The challenge he faced while compiling the Sesotho dictionary is that Sesotho has many dialects. What a word means in one part of the country has a different meaning in another despite Lesotho being a small nation of just over two million people.<\/p>\n

Another challenge he faced while compiling new words in Sesotho is that there is no institution such as a language board responsible for standardisation of Sesotho words, particularly borrowed words when they are turned into the language.<\/p>\n

Take the word computer. Some refer to it as \u2018Komporo\u2019 or \u2018k\u2019homputhara\u2019 while language purists refer to it as \u2018mochini\u2019, an overused word referring to anything technical.<\/p>\n

Mohlomi lamented that Basotho writers \u201care literally on their own and even the publishing companies have no interest in promoting their work. \u201d Only the authors who are self-published have their work distributed to the shelves, he said.<\/p>\n

Self-publishing refers to when a writer pays for the publication of the book and not the publishing company. Therefore copyright of the book entirely rests with the writer. Internationally-owned publishing companies are also doing nothing to promote local writers, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of high costs of publication, we have resorted to online platforms such as Amazon to publish our books, which deprives the audience access to hard copies of our work and leaves out those who aren\u2019t technologically invested,\u201d said Mohlomi.<\/p>\n

He writes mostly in Sesotho but sometimes uses English to attract international audiences. In his literary works, Mohlomi\u2019s favourite theme is love. \u201cI am concerned about how people take for granted the obligation and responsibility of love.<\/p>\n

People are not doing enough to nurture their relationships by being loyal to such commitments,\u201d Mohlomi said. The gist of love can be seen in his titles \u2018Not a Bed of Roses\u2019 and \u2018Love and Life a Battlefield\u2019.<\/p>\n

He advises aspiring writers to seek guidance from people who have written and published before and also from intellectuals in the literature field in order to improve their work.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t write a book only because somebody you know has written a book. Write because you know there is a message or information to pass.<\/p>\n

One also has to strive not to use obscene language or words which are considered to be taboo for sensitive readers when they write, particularly in Sesotho, as it is a respectful language.
\nMohlomi acknowledged that the reading culture among Basotho has drastically fallen and believes that all stakeholders in the arts have a role to play in reviving a reading culture among the people.<\/p>\n

Among other things, annual awards and competitions could be useful to motivate writers to live through their talent and not be forced to seek other jobs for survival.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. Ntsane Mohlomi is known as a writer of reckon \u2013 but not in his own home country. The man from Ha-Lekholoane, Litsoetse, in Thaba-Tseka has received recognition in Zimbabwe, some 1 440 kilometres from Lesotho\u2019s borders. One would be lucky to bump into literary works of local writers and Mohlomi is no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":28832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[233,246,245,2240],"class_list":["post-28834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-lesotho","tag-mohlomi"],"yoast_head":"\nMohlomi finds fame abroad - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ntsane Mohlomi is known as a writer of reckon \u2013 but not in his own home country. 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