Cynthia Thanda

Sometimes our passion comes as early as Primary School and that is how Tlholego Malebogo Letsepe discovered her passion for writing. She wrote a manuscript titled “Lost in Thought”.

Although she lost it, she continued her writing and in Senior School she had written another manuscript called “When It Dawned” to which she unfortunately lost. It was only years later that she started another one bearing the same title but with completely different content.

The PanAfrikanist family joined in the writer’s world and Mrs. Letsepe was happy to let us into her world.

Born on the 4^th February 1981 in Gaborone, Mrs. Letsepe is of Mmadinare origin and married in Mochudi to Mr. Kabelo Bernard Letsepe. She grew up in Gaborone under the guardianship of both her parents; the late Mr. Frederick Okanokile Ranjo and Mrs. Selina Ranjo.

Mrs. Letsepe did all her schooling in Gaborone, from Primary to Tertiary. She went to Camp Primary School before transferring to Masa Primary School. She then enrolled at Maikano Junior Secondary School.

Later she went to the University of Botswana where she graduated with a Bachelor of Humanities in 2008, with majors in English and History. She is currently pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education through distance learning with Botho University at the same time teaching Social Studies at Nare Sereto Junior Secondary School in Gabane.

Her newly-released books cover issues of Gender-based violence, human trafficking, and ritualistic riches and contentment. She says that people tend to ignore factual books written about such issues but many are interested in reading her books, simply because the issues are addressed in a relatable manner, depicting the lives of those who experienced them firsthand.

She has written two published novellas and she is currently working on a third one and some short stories.  “Agonies of a black African Woman” is her first book which depicts the life of a young woman who was forcibly married just after her secondary schooling.

In addition she is a staunch Christian of the Old Apostolic Church. The passionate author loves reading, especially fictional works by different authors. Nonetheless, her favorites include Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele, Chinua Achebe, and Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

Then she was forced to sever ties with her family only for her to be abused and abandoned by her husband who also sold their children into slavery and then, later on, died of HIV-related illness while she lost her mind and became confined to a mental institute.

The second book, “When It Dawned”, covers an element of domestic abuse and ritualistic riches.

When asked about the genre she writes, Mrs. Letsepe said, “I like writing fiction especially on very serious issues that affect humankind whether directly or otherwise, simply because people are ignorant of some issues and need to be sensitized and informed about these issues in an interesting way that will lure and coerce them into reading.”

“I am amazed and still awestruck as to how fellow Batswana have received my books. It was unanticipated. I continue to receive positive feedback from those who have already read the books and have so far, within a week sold over eighty copies.”

According to Mrs. Letsepe, Batswana are a non-reading nation. Only a few people enjoy reading and that is why she has decided to keep her books short and to the point, also adopting a bigger font size that will not bore or tire a reader and so far, it has worked for her.

Asked about her challenges, Mrs. Letsepe says there was a time she worked in a remote area and she couldn’t access any advanced research material or a computer to type her work.

She almost gave up but when she came back to Gaborone the light sparked and she started typing her work. However, her computer crashed and she had to look for another one and start all over again.

Not only that but she had to seek an affordable but good publisher. She had no capital for proofreading and editing. Fortunately, her husband lent a helping hand in terms of finances, and her younger sister Phatsimo who is a Fashion Designer introduced her to one Mr. France Mothusi who writes poems and also owns a publishing company called Souvenir The World Philtre.

Mothusi helped to proofread, edit and publish. It is where she also printed her first copies but she is willing to expand her wings and also print at Impression House.

Mothusi was certainly impressed with Mrs. Letsepe’s work ethic. He tells The Pan Afrikanist that Mma Letsepe is such an amazing and very trustworthy, cooperative, patient customer.

“Truly speaking of all the people I have worked with in their books, she has been the most amazing and easy to work with”.

Mothusi has published two of Mrs. Letsepe’s books and 42 books from different authors.

Mrs. Letsepe is self-inspired because her love for reading has bred the writer in her. However, she acknowledges that seeing Batswana authors’ works on shelves, the likes of Lauri Kubuitsile and Wame Molefe, strengthened and encouraged her to come out of her shell.

She plans to write and publish at least five books or more in the next two years. Both will be in English and Setswana.

One of her readers, Mma Molaodi tells us that her favourite Mma Letsepe’s book is ‘Agonies of a black African woman’. “It is a painful story but I could connect with it because it deals with social issues that we often hear about and have a vague idea of what really goes on especially human trafficking.

“Although the story is painful, there was a sense of humor that made the book balanced a bit. The descriptions were quite funny. The characters are relatable. I could feel all emotions.

“Two things that I found upsetting were that I felt the plot was too fast. The author moved from one issue to another. I would have wanted for her to expand certain issues and make it longer.”

Another observation is that there was no smooth transition especially at the end of the book. “It was a bit frustrating. Nonetheless, the author did a very good job and I loved it.”

Mma Letsepe’s books are currently available at Kaysee Booksellers and Stationers at Bonnington Mall close to The Grand Palm Hotel.