Durban - Bhekinkosi Maqhuzu Ngwenya has many stories to tell and is determined to change mindsets around reading.
Born in KwaMaphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal, he decided to pursue a career in writing and along the way help others to publish their own books.
After publishing his first book, “White But Not God”, in 2016, he has never looked back and now has 21 books under his belt.
Ngwenya said he began expressing his feelings through writing when he wrote letters to his friends while school at Calvary Christian College.
“I have always believed that I have a story to tell. This also stems from the environment I come from. I grew up in an abusive family. I could not express myself and I could not even say a word. I was shy and I chose to become friends with people who loved reading. We used to communicate by exchanging letters. I still keep the letters we wrote today,” he said.
Ngwenya said that if we all went back to our roots, we would find the answers to solve many social problems.
“I think racism started when someone saw black or white. We are all created by God. In my book titled ‘Creating An Ignorant Society’, I use the term ‘a chorus of rustics’. That simply means that the favourite part of the songs we grew up singing was the chorus because sometimes we did not know the words.
“I often view people from the rural parts of the country people as rustic people because they are often overlooked, but they have a wealth of knowledge about life. In a chorus of rustics, they are given the chance to freely express themselves. That’s why we say we are loud with knowledge,” said Ngwenya.
He said one of his books explored the abortion law and how the government could consider the impact of abortion on the person who committed abortion and the impact it had on them later in life emotionally. He said this was a topic often overlooked by society.
Another subject he believed had been marginalised was reading. Ngwenya suggested the media could emphasise this activity, suggesting a book reading or review slot on the radio to drive the notion.
“I was impressed by the matric results from last year and how KZN came out in third place. It’s a good thing for a province that is looked at as an illiterate province, culturally and otherwise. When I heard about the results, I said that means young people are reading. The reading activities are not exposed; they are not given a platform. I wish reading would be publicised just like music and other forms of art,” said Ngwenya.
“We can use technology to showcase who we are. We need more information at our fingertips to explore topics such as rituals and culture,” he said.
“I love being in a community and I take things I see and I do my part to help raise awareness on those issues in my community,” he said.
To get in touch with the author, visit his Facebook page “A Chorus Of Rustics”.
The Independent on Saturday