The South African literature spaces of today are filled with English and Afrikaans literature that spans to different genres. As such there is a need for more indigenous literature projects to be made available and accessible to the South African and African public. This collection of Sesotho poetry seeks to contribute towards the preservation of indigenous languages and motivate South African writers whom English is not their first language to tell their stories in their local languages. It seeks to ignite self-pride and love of local languages. Maqephe Buleha is a Sesotho poetry collection that seeks to promote the usage of Sesotho language and invigorate interest in local languages. The book gives hope to South African writers who predominantly write in their own languages. It challenges the stereotypes that women are the only ones who circulate.
Maqephe Buleha which is the title of the book, when loosely translated means pages open up so that I can write. This a 66 page (A5 book) Sesotho poetry collection that presents 47 poems covering different themes like hope, land, motivation, love, current affairs, hope for a better Africa and for an African child, friendships, disappointments, etc. It also speaks to community and family life as well as issues of survival in a forever changing political landscape. Every poem in this book is informed by the events that happened in or around the author’s life and has been used to narrate stories through poetry that readers could identify with and enjoy. The book has adopted a free verse style and other forms of poetry that communicate stories and messages in a simple and engaging manner.