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CHINA based author Nqobizwe Malinga (24) is over the moon after registering a first National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) nomination, courtesy of his juvenile literature set book titled When The Sun Sets.
The awards are set to be held on 25 February at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).
When The Sun Sets is a children’s story that tries to introduce the concept of death and dealing with loss and fear to young readers from middle childhood to early adolescence.
The book, which is the first solo publication by Malinga, was illustrated by Jee Astoeti from Indonesia.
Malinga is nominated under the Literary Awards category for Outstanding Children’s Book, facing stiff competition from Valentine Nyagweta (Let’s enjoy Village Tales with Mbuya maDishi) and Costa Chayambuka (Sloba and the Chameleonaire).
The Cowdray Park bred author is excited for the nomination which he described as “an achievement.”
“It’s an honour to receive my first nomination at the Namas and I would like to take this time to thank everyone who supported me. When I wrote this book, I wanted to help orphans to deal with death in a positive way that will enable them to heal from their loss.
“I embarked on a charity adventure on Africa Day in Gwanda, 2021, and engaged with so many young children who had experienced loss (losing their parents) at a young age, I figured out that it was quite rare for children’s literature to talk about issues of death.
“This made me believe that writing a book that has thematic concerns surrounding death is a step in the right direction in helping children deal with the unfortunate occurrences at a young age.
“I am happy that this baby (book) is making an impact on the targeted audience as well as grown up readers,” said Malinga who is a student at the Shanghai University, China.
Apart from When The Sun Sets, Malinga has had his works featured in Anthologies including Our Daily Loud Whispers, Intwasa Short Story Book 2, and Notion Press Literature in Asia.
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