A YOUNG man from the rural town of Cacadu has published a book of isiXhosa poems which was inspired by the current state of affairs in his life and those around him.
Luyolo Ngangelizwe said anxiety about his future, gender-based violence and unemployment, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, were some of the things that inspired him to write.
Imbilini, loosely translated as expressing oneself, is a compilation of Xhosa poems, including one titled Inyhikityha Yokufa EZingqolweni. The poem is about the murders in the village of Ezingqolweni, where 11 elderly people and seven young people were murdered.
Looking at his life and his peers, Ngangelizwe said he needed to find something to do and be good at it. He adopted the “pen is mightier than the sword” approach and started writing.
“I wrote this book out of redundancy. I found myself being one of the young people who were hit by unemployment. I became really anxious about my future. So I used all those sleepless nights to peruse within me what is it that I can do and be good at it to change my situation,” he said.
He wrote in isiXhosa to encourage other young people to embrace the language.
Ngangelizwe has had a lot of support from his family, friends and social media followers. He said he has so far written five books but lacked resources to publish them.
To order Imbilini, Ngangelizwe can be contacted on 082 426 6168 or 062 552 5022. He can also be contacted on ngangelizwe.yolo@gmail.com. The book was published by Millionaire Publishers (Pty) LTD.
