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Langalakhe Mabena
THE love he has for children would make one believe that Nqobizwe Malinga (27) is a parent who has his own children.
The Cowdray Park, Bulawayo bred youth is a children’s activist who fights for the welfare of children and his policy towards children is simple; “Children must be sent to school, so that they can reach their full potential and make their dreams come true.”
As such, his soft spot for vulnerable children has seen the philanthropist based in China establishing his own Nqobizwe Malinga Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to fostering community development and equitable access to education throughout Africa.
It ignites the flames of knowledge by providing essential resources, scholarships and academic material to underserved communities across the continent.
Even though the foundation’s primary commitment lies in children and education, Malinga said they also aim to empower all individuals to realise their full potential and contribute positively to the community and beyond.
The love for children and community development inspired Malinga to become a juvenile literature by writing a book titled “When The Sun Sets”. Juvenile literature is any form of work from stories, magazines and poetry that are created for children.
“When The Sun Sets” is a children’s story that tries to introduce the concept of death and dealing with loss and fear to young readers from middle childhood to early adolescence.
The book, which is the first solo publication by Malinga was illustrated by Jee Astoeti from Indonesia.
Speaking from China where he is studying at Shanghai University, Malinga said by writing this particular book, he wanted to help children (orphans) to be able to deal with death in a positive way that will enable them to heal from their loss.
“ ‘When The Sun Sets’ was inspired by events that I experienced at a fun day that I held in Gwanda on Africa Day as part of my birthday celebrations. It was in partnership with Educational Foundation Trust and we received over US$1 000 in donations to sponsor about 50 orphans for their educational supplies. After engaging with so many young children who had experienced loss (losing their parents) at a younger age, I figured out that it was quite rare for children’s literature to talk about issues of death. This made me believe that writing a book that has thematic concerns surrounding death is a step in the right direction in helping children deal with the unfortunate occurrences at a young age,” said Malinga.
With the copies of the book available at bookstores and children’s libraries in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, China, Russia and Indonesia, Malinga who is also an English teacher in China, said he is on a drive to donate the book to orphanages in Zimbabwe.
“The book is doing well in the market as many children and even adults can relate to the events in it. To reach a wider audience, we have partnered with Impact Change Africa Foundation to have the book in Italy, which will be our first entry to Europe. We’re also working on a German-translated version that will be launched soon.
“As the book is based on a storyline of orphans and their experiences, we’re on a drive to donate the book to children’s homes and orphanages around Zimbabwe upon request,” said Malinga.
“When The Sun Sets” can be considered as an excellent piece of work, as it got him nominated at the 2022 National Arts Merit Awards (Nama).
The book got him nominated with other authors including Valentine Nyagweta for “Let’s enjoy Village Tales with Mbuya maDishi” and Costa Chayambuka for “Sloba and the Chameleonaire”.
Apart from his first solo publication, Malinga has had his works featured in Anthologies including “Our Daily Loud Whispers”, “Intwasa Short Story Book 2”, and “Notion Press Literature in Asi.
Malinga is also an established musician. Last year he collaborated with Gospel musician Skhu on a song titled “Kholwa KuJesu”.
Online Reporter