03 Mar 2022

Lesedi Gaeemelwe’s book titled Little Ngwana Stories has won the Best Children’s book category at the Mulher Forte African Literature awards

The award ceremony was held at Linga Longa in Game city recently.

In an interview with BOPA on Wednesday Gaeemelwe who also won The African Honeree Award for the same book last year said the award was an encouragement for her to propel forward.

Having limited folktales and children fiction books in her tender years inspired her to pen the award winning book.

“Children’s fiction was limited in regard to the truth and I felt if I could add the little I have to children’s entertainment a biblical concept maybe this could go a long way,” she said.

Little Ngwana Stories a collection of fiction stories carries messages of hope, inspiring children towards the truth and love for Christ.

She said the book has since been translated to braille for the visually impaired by the Mochudi Resource Centre for the Blind and was currently being translated to other indigenous languages by the Bible Society of Botswana

Gaeemelwe also indicated that when she was a child entertainment and literature in fairy tales emphasised the goodness of humanity but not of God therefore she decided to entertain children through literature with teachings emphasising true goodness through Christ.

About working on children’s entertainment, Gaeemelwe said it stretched her more and the urge to help where there was need inspired her in life.

She said the awards or recognition of her work had motivated her to write more books and even spread her wings in future.

Gaeemelwe, who teaches Business at Kgale Hill CJSS, is also a children’s author and story teller, Poet and Rapper among others performance arts.

The Mulher Forte African Literature Award is an international award recognising excellence from African authors worldwide. ENDS