Sabata-Mpho Mokae

Sabata-Mpho Mokae is an academic, novelist and translator from South Africa who writes in Setswana and English. Quotes Once I have a group of characters sorted out, the book writes itself As a writer the book is being dictated to me, I have the story and then I simply become a typist I come from a tradition of oral storytelling. I grew up in a village in South Africa, where the tradition was that every evening we’d have our grandmother tell stories to us – that is myself and my cousins – and it would be around the fire. This oral storytelling tradition was done by all families in the village In the village, there are not many resources. There’s not much to do. So, you have to look for something to do that doesn’t cost a lot of money The way Achebe writes, he tells a complicated story so well and in very simple text, that it made me believe I too could tell a complex story as simply as that When I write in Setswana, I don’t have the burden of translating my work before it gets to paper Setswana is spoken by around six million people in five southern African countries. That is quite enough. I have met other writers who are writing in a language spoken by half a million people, and they are writing vigorously. So, that was enough for me If I don’t write in this language, I’m losing out on whatever comes with the language. Each proverb, each idiom has a cultural value and historical background that my readers now have access to as a result of reading in Setswana. I needed to hold onto that When I started writing it, there was a sense of freedom that came to me. I’ve never felt that way when writing in English, because I was writing in my first language, the language that I sucked from my mother’s breast. It was natural You preserve the language, firstly, and your use of language is richer and you express yourself better I write very little poetry, because I believe poetry is one of the most complicated and difficult forms of literary expression I believe that you write biographies when you want to write about people you love and adore. You write novels when you want to write about people you hate My best characters are very bad people, corrupt people, perverts, charlatans. Every time when I have an opportunity to go and read Dikeledi to younger people back home, I tell them “I’ve written this book so that you know your story will be told and will be remembered in 100 years’ time, but also so that we can talk about this. It should not be a taboo anymore SO THAT YOU KNOW YOUR STORY WILL BE TOLD: AN INTERVIEW WITH SABATA-MPHO MOKAE 7 December 2018 My other works are inspired by the realities of life in the post-apartheid South Africa; our new struggles and even our aspirations I don’t want to confine myself to one genre even though I feel comfortable as a fiction writer A culture carries values, indigenous knowledge and history. Making people forget their language means making them forget all those things Writing in a language that the apartheid regime marginalised is showing apartheid a middle finger. But it’s also about cultural pride and the dignity of a people. The post-apartheid South Africa is an unfolding story. It’s the story of a nation that’s picking up the pieces after apartheid. Ours are stories of a cosmopolitan Africa, a rising Africa, a now post-Mandela Africa My generation of writers speak truth to power, travel the world and find inspiration for creativity wherever they go Many African-Americans who came here found that we share stories, we find inspiration in each others’ stories. So these are stories of people trying to make ends meet, fighting racism, wanting to live normal lives despite the odds that are against them, reclaiming their space in the world and working to regain the lost dignities. Writers are witnesses to the truth. Know your truth and be truthful to it in your art Write the books that you’d like to read; that’s the only way you can be sure others will read them The world is one village with diverse people living in it. The best way to know others is to read about them The Sabata-mpho Mokae Interview 10 June I was brought up by women, and strong and wise women continue to inspire me When you write in mainly an African language and your work is to some extent based on Africa's painful history and legacies, it's easy for people to conclude that you dislike European languages or you're anti-West With the history that Africa has – of deprivation, slavery, colonialism, apartheid – quality writing that asserts Africa's place in the world or introduces Africa to the world is appealing I don't believe in writer's block. When I stare at a computer screen it's usually because I'm tired or I'm plotting my characters' next move I can write about anything and anyone on earth except bats. I fear bats and cannot write about them because I'm even afraid of imagining them My least favourite word is "selfie". I think it's lazy attempt at creating a new word frica is still unknown to the world. I have many stories about this continent and her people that I need to tell. These stories keep me sleepless at night. One lifetime is hardly a drop in the ocean. There won't be enough time to write about myself. I also don't think I'm interesting enough. But others can write about me if they so wish. Proust Questionnaire: 17 questions with Sabata-mpho Mokae 2 April 2015 When I came to read about proverbs and idioms in school, I had already known them from the community that brought me up It's on that basis that I tell my people who cannot read my novels, "It's the system, not you. Don't be hard on yourself I'm happy though that there are enough people in the few countries in Southern Africa who appreciate and read Setswana literature, watch Setswana drama series on the screen, and dance to Setswana songs. The numbers of fellow writers who express interest to see their works being translated into their mother tongue  are steadily growing It's Not You, It's the System 19 March 2025 External links Category:Novelists from South Africa Category:Translators from South Africa Category:Academics from South Africa Category:Living people