Bare e ne re Co-director Lineo Segoete
Mohalenyane Phakela
CULTURAL movement, Ba re e ne re, has called on Basotho writers to contribute to an upcoming anthology of fictional stories.
According to Ba re e ne re Director Lineo Segoete, the anthology is meant to foster the development of literary arts in the country and would be published in both print and e-book editions later this year. She said the submission of stories began on 1 May 2016 and would end on 30 June 2016, with writers able to send up to three fictional stories ranging from 1 000 to 5 000 words.
Segoete said the anthology was a platform for local writers to tell their own stories and sharpen skills.
“Our intention with the anthology is to showcase the wealth of Basotho stories and encourage those who have a talent for writing to take the chance and let their voices be heard,” she told the Weekender this week.
“Not only will this anthology benefit the writers in their personal development, it will enable the telling of stories about Lesotho from the horses’ mouth.”
Segoete said only writers who are Lesotho citizens or residents of more than three years were eligible to submit their short stories. She also stated that w
“The stories may be in English or Sesotho and should be the original works of the writer which have not been published before.”
She said they had received a lot of submissions since the entries were opened.
“The responses so far have been encouraging, with some of the writers submitted the maximum number of three stories,” said Segoete.
“We even got an entry from Kenya which, unfortunately, we had to turn down since the anthology is only supposed to feature Basotho writers.”
Ba re e ne re was founded in 2011 by Liepollo Rantekoa to advance literary arts in Lesotho and connect Basotho writers and artists with those in the region and around the world. After Rantekoa tragically passed away in 2012, her friends and family united to carry on her vision.
