AFRICAN PLAUDITS FOR ROGER MOORE

Roger Moore, the suave, debonair actor who breathed life into James Bond in a series of films mainly in the 80s died this week at almost 90 years old. Since his demise, countless stars etc have been coming out to pay tribute to this magnificent actor. And the same has been happening in Africa too.

Whilst Sean Connery had played Bond as a tough, wry, wise-cracking agent, Moore took over and emphasized playing the part as a sort of "spoof" - wise cracking, quipping, with lots of tongue-in-cheek nuances. In Africa, many actors including from the famed Nollywood stable have been praising Roger Moore the actor; with many of them stating how much he influenced them, and how they admired him since their youth. Some insisted that Moore should be immortalised, which in essence he has been, or already is anyway. Interestingly, some African writers have also insisted that they patently admired the late Roger Moore too.

For example, Chief O Bolaji, who started the famous "Tebogo Mystery series" which now has eight published volumes, said: "I loved the way Moore played Bond on screen, when I was young. A superb actor indeed. Always amusing and charming and a gentleman with women. I found myself incorporating many elements of the Moore persona into my own books on the Tebogo detective…”

Bolaji added: “As many pundits have pointed out over the years, (my) fictional Tebogo is a rather fine gentleman too, with a sense of humour, he actually hates violence and evil... Tebogo is so nice, actually weak with women - even if such women are killers! One critic pointed out that Tebogo is so weak and foolish with ladies that he is almost killed at the end of one of the adventures...(Tebogo's spot of bother)"

Another African writer and critic, Raphael Mokoena, said: "I think we can all learn from a sublime actor like Roger Moore. Even his quips have a lot of literary merit...well, sometimes. There is the sense of something positive and fair in Moore's character which I try to put into my own reviews and writings, my critical ‘scribblings’...being fair in whatever one critiques... I rather think African critics Mr Mzwandile Soqaga and Tiisetso Thiba are like that too...presenting positive images in their work…I mean, it's good to be good, eh? That sort of thing...may Roger Moore’s soul rest in peace"

Photos: 1. (top) Roger Moore
2. (centre) Bolaji's Tebogo and the Bacchae, part of the Tebogo Myster series
3. (above) Roger Moore, with co-stars Tanya Roberts and Grace Jones (A View to A Kill)

SHORT STORIES TO TANTALISE

Book: Free State Brewed Short Stories

Edited by P Lechesa

This anthology of short stories was published just a few days before Alice Munro was internationally announced as the 2013 winner of the Nobel award in literature. The blurb of this book states emphatically:

"Alice Munro, celebrated writer of fiction of the shorter variety describes a story as ‘a world seen in a quick glancing light’. In other words, every day events, gongs and tragedies are briefly illuminated in the best of short stories.

The stories in this collection – written by talented African writers - epitomize some of the best in recent writings...Enjoy the Cornucopia of stories!”

This new book, edited by Pule Lechesa, is a collection of interesting, wide-ranging short stories. At first brush one can see that the contributors to this work are essentially proficient wordsmiths, hence the fine quality of most of the stories published here. Indeed this is a cross-section of the contributors:

Charles Matorera

Already making his name as an astute writer of short stories. His story, Singwizi: The golden journey is already quite celebrated – hence its inclusion in this work. Matorera is working on his first full-length novel now.

Maxwell Perkins Kanemanyanga

An accomplished writer of short stories. He churns out such stories “with disarming fecundity”. He has already published three books – collections of short stories – Enemy of the State, How do I talk about my ordeal? and Chapindapasi (2013) Maxwell was featured in the book, Interviews with effervescent Writers (2012)

Teboho Masakala

Even in his late teens, he was tipped by literary pundits to take the literary world by storm. Since then he has remarkably been fulfilling his potential by publishing works like Mind, pen, paper and ideas (2010), Through it all (2011) and The fall of Marcus Desmond (2012) He has also published the book, Shout to the Lord (2013)

O Bolaji

Multi-award-winning author who has published fiction, literary criticism, poetry, drama, biographies etc. Author of novels like Impossible Love, The ghostly adversary, and People of the townships. Creator and writer of the “Tebogo Mokoena Mystery series” which now incorporates eight volumes (adventures)

Tseliso Masolane

Tseliso Masolane is the author of a rip-roaring Sesotho poetry book, Bo naka bo maripa; which the controversial critic Pule Lechesa described “as a must read, a page-turner, coherent, didactic and thought-provoking to boot.” This dynamic polyglot works as the Deputy Director at Bloemfontein based Sesotho Literary Museum which is the first in indigenous languages. He is also the founder of Motheo Award winning newspaper called Shwehwe and Qwaqwa community radio station.

Mathibeli George Rampai

Rampai is a skilled writer of fiction whose monumental work From Where I stand is still being celebrated liberally in many literary circles. Rampai came out tops as Author of the Year (2012) courtesy of the esteemed Mbali Literary Awards.

Teboho Letshaba (above)

A superb creative writer and journalist, author of a number of award winning works in the Sesotho language; his talent belongs to the top drawer.

     
     * Free State brewed Short Stories, edited by Pule Lechesa, is published by Mbali Press. Sponsored by the National Arts Council of South Africa