Benedicto Wokoma-atani speaks on his artistry
By Sam Banda Jnr:
Legendary poet, Benedicto Wokoma-atani Malunga, has said people will see the best of his works including two anthologies of Chinyanja which are now with publishers.
“At the moment, my focus is on finalising another poetry anthology and a collection of short stories this year. I am taking my time just to make sure I have the perfect works on the ground,” Wokomaatani, the creator of the popular romantic poem ‘Ndidzakutengera Kunyanja Ligineti’, said.
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He added that, when this project is done, he would go back to the finalisation of Julius Ceaser’s translation.
“The industry has grown tremendously although we need to do more in terms of producing quality works. We have up-and-coming poets who are aggressive but most of them have thrown away the basics of poetry. All I normally ask them is to read widely if they are to perfect themselves but also, learn from those who are doing well,” Wokoma-atani said.
The creator of ‘Siananso Awa’ said as he waits to release some of the works, in between, he will keep on releasing one story after the other when the muse moves him.
“I want to reclaim fully my short stor-telling skills which were temporarily overshadowed by my pre-occupation with poetry,” he said.
Last year, Wokoma-atani read one of his stories during the storytelling session held at Jacaranda Cultural Centre in Blantyre.
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