‘Mabohlokoa Tsakatsi has become an inspiration to the youth. She has stepped up from being a nanny to becoming an author, something no one would have imagined possible.
Tsakatsi recently published her first book titled ‘Lebitso Lebe ke Seromo’.
Born and bred at Malungoaneng in Mokhotlong district, Tsakatsi only went as far as secondary level (Form C) at school, but she had always been an avid reader and writer.
‘Lebitso lebe ke Seromo’ (a bad name is an omen) is a Basotho proverb meaning a bad name often has a direct influence on the character of the bearer.
In the light of this, Tsakatsi told theReporter in a recent interview that she believes people should be given names that lift them.
“A child or even an adult with a particular nickname might act according to, or reflect that name. The book was inspired by real life cases; for example, people from poor background are usually undermined or discriminated against.
“In a nutshell the book tells the story of the main character who is named ‘’Malitsietsi’ by her in-laws because she comes from a poor family.
‘Malitsietsi’ means hardships, which aligns with the book because she never enjoyed her marriage in that rich family due to the hatred she endured from her father-in-law who actually gave her that name.
“It took me five months to write the book and have the final copy ready for printing. I wrote it with the guidance of my primary school teacher, Keketso Mokoboro. It was edited and proofread by Julia Raphepheng.
“However, I already had some basic writing skills since it was something I had been passionate about since I was young. Besides that, I always loved reading books, and that also contributes in enhancing my writing skills,” Tsakatsi said.
As a new and inexperienced author, one of the challenges she encountered during her writing journey was insufficient funds.
She found things such as editing, printing as well as typing costly since she only drafted her work on a paper. However, Tsakatsi had to make sacrifices here and there because she was determined to reach her goal.
In conclusion, Tsakatsi promised to write more books now that she has started, adding that “writing is not all about having a certain qualification, rather it requires creativity, passion and reading other author’s work in order to learn from them and grow one’s skills and knowledge,” she concluded.
The book is currently available through distributors in Teyateyaneng, Hlotse and Maseru and those who would like to have a copy can contact Tsakatsi at: +266 51743613 or visit her Facebook account: ‘Mabohlokoa Tsakatsi
