Princess tale wins the big prize in Nal’ibali contest

OUT OF more than 6 000 entries, it was the tale of a princess from Mangaung that captivated the judges of the Story Bosso contest the most.

This is why Lindiwe Makhoba, 11, of Bloemfontein’s Kgato Primary School, was named winner of the annual competition, hosted by the Nal’ibali reading campaign.

Lindiwe’s winning entry, a multilingual poem titled My Life as a Princess, was praised for its potential to inspire change.

Judge Bongani Godide said: “Her confidence was evident and her use of her home language to harness her delivery made it rhythmic and poetic.

“The use of two languages is tricky, but when mastered it is exceptional.”

The inspiration for the poem came from Lindiwe’s experiences of discrimination as a child.

She wins R5 000, a book voucher to the value of R1 000, R250 airtime and the title of this year’s Story Bosso.

Along with Lindiwe’s title, seven runners-up were announced.

They are Java Hoy (Eastern Cape), Lethuxolo November (Gauteng), Sabelo Khomo (KwaZulu-Natal), Dimakatso Letsoele (Mpumalanga), Annah Gumbi (North West), Maggy Matladi (Limpopo) and Gaireyah Frederick (Western Cape).

Henrico Frans (Western Cape) won the SA Sign Language category.

Nal’ibali managing director Jade Jacobsohn said stories had the power to build bonds and connect communities.

“[They also] ignite the parts of the brain connected with imagination, empathy and language learning in children,” she said.

To listen to the winning stories or to find out more about Story Bosso and the Nal’ibali campaign, visit the Nal’ibali website at www.nalibali.org