Dream comes true for Tafila
Larona Makhaiza | Sunday October 15, 2023 06:00
Tafila said it had been one of her life goals to become a published author. In an interview with Arts&Culture this week, Tafila explained that she developed affinity for writing at a young age.
She stated that whenever she struggled to voice out her thoughts, she preferred to put them across in writing. “I was not really inspired by anyone. But I had a passion for writing and I used to write short stories growing up, which I later threw away until I realised that this is something that I cannot run away from and it lives within me as I speak through writing,” the young author said.
Elaborating on what her first book stands for and what it intends to achieve, Tafila, who is a Bachelors of Finance student, explained that it focuses on giving hope to the girl-child who is facing trials and tribulations in life. “The Twist is a book that narrates the peaks and valleys encountered by young girls in different stages of their life from a tender age till tertiary. It aims to motivate those who have difficulties in fitting in different aspects of their lives and restore hope to the ones edging closer to losing themselves,” Tafila expressed.
Furthermore, Tafila described her book as more of a letter to the little girl she was growing up and also to other girls who might have gone through the same journey as her.
“I would like my siblings to read and learn from this book as it is a letter to my younger self as it is based on daily things that happen to adolescents who tend to get ignored due to communication barriers between young people and our parents,” she said. Asked about her long plan as an author, Tafila said she hopes to continue publishing more books and become a well-known author of note. She highlighted that one of her core aims is to be an inspiration to other people and for her books to have a positive impact on people’s lives.
“I pray that God gives me strength for my authorship path so that I can write more impactful books and I hope to create a legacy for myself in the literary world. As hard as it is, I believe I will,” she said. She advised the young aspiring authors not to die with their dreams as no one should be the gatekeeper to their dreams. “To aspiring authors, the time is now and don’t be afraid to seek help. The writing industry has a lot of kind people; don’t get disappointed if you knock at one door and get rejected,” she concluded.