Chronicle Editor
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
LITERARY matriarch Barbara Clara Makhalisa Nkala was amazed by the kind gesture shown by the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) to award her the Lifetime Achievement gong on Saturday for her exploits in the country’s literary sector.
Gogo Nkala, a seasoned author of fiction and non-fiction books published in Ndebele and English languages said receiving the gong was a pleasant surprise.
“Some good things fall on your plate when you least expect them. This was the case concerning the Nama Lifetime Achievement Award. I was amazed and astounded! More so because I was not at home in Harare. There had been emergency travel and we were in South Africa.
“I noted many missed calls from an official at NACZ at about 9pm and I thought maybe they were annoyed that I had given our tickets to a lady I mentor in writing. The official asked if I was at HICC and I explained that my husband and I were out of the country on medical grounds. He then dropped the wonderful ‘bombshell’, if there is such a thing.
“I was at a loss for words. I connected him with Sibonile Ngwenya who would receive the award on my behalf. They wanted me to say a few words. I was breathless with excitement. I was so grateful, humbled, and felt so honoured! I really thank God, the giver of blessings,” said Gogo Nkala.
“The honour has inspired me to continue encouraging young writers to tap into their own skills and dreams, through the Barbara Clara Makhalisa Nkala Literary Trust (BCMNLT).”
With a career dating back to the 1970s, Gogo Nkala is not showing any sign of rust and says she will continue working with young people in the literary sector.
“Having already published two more plays by young people which were published in August last year, BCMNLT sponsored a competition to write children’s stories in Ndebele following a workshop to equip writers that took place last December in Bulawayo. We hope to publish about six of those stories this year.
“We also hope to publish one book on the usage of Ndebele idioms and proverbs; as well as a memoir in English. That is very ambitious, but I work with a dedicated board that is very supportive and encouraging,” said Gogo Nkala.
In the past, Barbara Nkala has written novels inclusive of Qilindini, Impilo Yinkinga, and UJojojo kaMantombi, but her most prominent fictitious novel is Umendo which was published by Mambo Press in the late 1970s. — @MbuleloMpofu
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