11-year-old pens award-winning debut book
Proving age is no barrier when talent and commitment are at play, an 11-year-old girl from Molepolole is now a published author.
The impressive youngster, Nonofo Reetsang, recently launched her debut novel, ‘The Journey of an 11-year-old Christian girl’, in a book-signing ceremony at Miachi Gardens attended by writers, village leadership, fellow church-goers, friends and proud family.
The Standard 6 Emmanuel Adventist Academy student explained her story centres around a young girl’s ambition to become a doctor and use her medical skills to help the sick and less privileged.
Divided into seven chapters, the 63-page book encourages churches to build houses for the old and ill and kindergartens for children from impoverished backgrounds.
It also details Reetsang’s observations of the world around her, encouraging youth to pursue their dreams while staying respectful to their elders.
Her maiden memoir has not gone unnoticed by the critics, winning Best Children’s Book (under 12) and Best Young Author at the Botswana Literature Awards, with Reetsang also named Best Upcoming Young Author by Dinaletsana Cultural Promotions.
Proving her powers of speech match her prowess with the pen, Reetsang addressed her audience without any written notes, speaking from the heart.
“My teachers played a massive role in writing this book. They taught us that prayer is a life changer, they taught me to respect and be kind and the compositions they gave us opened my eyes that I can be an author,” she said.
The youngster reserved special mention for her Coach, Ntlafatso Keitirile, whose publishing company focuses on Christian books.
“She made this book a reality; it would not have been possible without her help and input,” praised the child author.
Reetsang thanked her teacher parents, mum Rejoice Reetsang and dad, Kaone Reetsang who is also a preacher, for their support.
However, she admitted it was not all smooth sailing, as at one point her parents asked her to put the book on hold, worrying it would distract her from her school work.
She prevailed, expertly balancing both her studies and her passion for story-telling: the result is the award-winning ‘The Journey of an 11-year-old Christian girl’!
