Name: Anathi Gobeni
Age: 18 years old
Currently taking a gap year
When a teacher from one of our beneficiary schools reaches out to us about one of their learners, we pay attention. And just as well. Mr Mhaga from Zwelidumile High School contacted us to tell us about a keen ex-learner, Anathi Gobeni, who had written a book. He wanted to find out whether we could help her.
Anathi is from Gatyana near Idutywa in the Eastern Cape and will be spending some time in Cape Town this year. We invited Anathi to our offices and offered help with editing, digitising and publishing her book. Anathi’s book ended up being a play that she had written by hand in an exercise book.
She matriculated last year and is currently taking a gap year whilst awaiting news on the bursary that she applied for through Funza Lushaka. She is planning to study teaching and would love to teach accountancy. It was one of her favourite subjects at school and she has level 6. What about English, we asked.
“English was my other favourite subject. I liked it a lot. I started writing when I was in Grade 8 at the age of 13 in Luvundu Junior Secondary School. I started writing poems. I had very good teachers. My English teachers encouraged me a lot. Ms Washaya from from Zwelidumile High School was my English teacher from Grade 8 to Grade 10. After I wrote a poem, I’d give it to her, she would read it and give me feedback. That is what I enjoyed. I was lucky to have the teachers that I had, including Ms Mbete.”
This may well have highlighted to Anathi the important role teachers play in the development of young people. She says that it all started with poems. Her teacher encouraged them to read, memorise and recite poems in English, Anathi’s second language (her first language is isiXhosa). She still remembers some of these poems, like ‘Philippi Life’ and ‘The best mother other the sun’. Anathi explains how she went from writing poems to plays:
“I read a play called, ‘Nothing but the truth’ by John Kani. It is the book I loved the most. So I just wanted to write something like it. It was very easy for me to write this play. It just flowed. Some of the ideas came from my twin sister and some of it probably also came from watching too much television! “
Anathi was also introduced to many other books including those in the Harmony High Series, which is how she found out about FunDza. Besides all this stimulation, Anathi and her friend Andisiwe Sankqela edited their school magazine featuring articles, sport and poetry all supported with photos. The idea of writing a school magazine came from Ms Washaya and Mr Mhaga. The magazine was written out on a computer at school and the teachers helped with the printing.
Anathi might appear quiet and shy, but she seems to have a deep understanding of who she is. Without a doubt, she’s a go-getter!
“I am very proud of myself. I’m not the only one who is not studying this year; who is taking a gap year. I’m not the only learner. But some are now pregnant. And I’m proud of myself. Because instead of being pregnant or doing other things with this time, I did something: I wrote a book.”
This young woman is serious about herself and her future – she’s prepared to commit to something that she believes in. When asked whether she would like to see her play performed on a stage she beams a solid ‘yes’. It’s not surprising that she is planning to write a great deal more.
Read her play ‘Dark Water’ on FunDza’s mobi network.
It will not be the last we hear from Anathi. As Fanz editor, Zimkhitha Mlanzeli puts it: “For a first time writer, she really did great. There’s care and dedication that you pick up from her work. This is something that editors love to see and it makes one want to work with her again. If she keeps it up she’ll be commissioned in no time.”
Zimkhitha Mlanzeli is a FunDza writing mentor as well as an author of ‘Blood Ties’. Anathi receives her signed copy of this Harmony High title.
Kaitlin Moore, a FunDza intern, is from Kentucky USA and the one responsible for editing and digitising ‘Dark Water’. Here Anathi sees it on a computer for the first time.
Another ‘Dark Water’ review by Kaitlin Moore: “Dark Water is a play that keeps you on your toes. It is definitely a page turner that will keep you guessing what will happen next. It has a very good moral to the story – honesty can solve a lot of problems. I could definitely see it being performed on stage one day. It’s a must-read!”