Young isiXhosa speakers can have their work published and win prizes in the Puku Story competition being held in conjunction with the annual Puku Story Festival to be hosted in Grahamstown in February next year.
The Puku Story Festival is sponsored by REDISA and supported by the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign.
“The school holidays give creative minds the ideal opportunity to express themselves using the richness of the Xhosa language,” says Elinor Sisulu, director of the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation.
All the stories for the 2015 competition have to carry a message about environmental conservation.
“Language is as much a part of the environment as are animals and plants. Our objective is to preserve and grow both,” says Sisulu.
“We encourage young people to write about the environment as it affects them – whether it is an appreciation of the beauty of their surroundings or the challenges such as shortage of water or fuel.
“The stories can be real life experiences or they can be fiction, as long as they have an environmental theme,” she says.
The competition is open to young writers aged between 13 and 19.
Their stories of between 500 and 1 500 words should be hand-written, and the deadline is January 15, 2015.
Entrants should send their stories to Postnet Suite #4, Private Bag X1672, Grahamstown, 6140 OR email them to stories@redisa.org.za
Entry is free.
Winners will be announced at a special awards event on Friday 20th February 2015 at the Puku Story Festival in Grahamstown.
There will also be prizes to the value of R18 000.
The Puku Story Festival, which will take place from Thursday 19th February to Saturday 21st February, will be a joyous celebration of isiXhosa storytelling and literature, classic and modern and an exhibition of isiXhosa children’s' books.
For more information visit the REDISA website www.redisa.org.za or Nal’bali website www.nalibali.org
For more information, please contact Ziyanda Gysman on 060 351 9723
Please wait!
