Bridget's poetry gets recognised

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Bridget Nwovhe gets her kicks from creating stanzas peppered with rhymes, rhythms, and onomatopoeia to keep her poetry alive, appreciated, and interesting.

Bridget uses her gift for words as a measure to heal the broken-hearted. She has won several literature prizes, including the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry award, a mere eight months after she first revealed her talent for writing.

“I am content with my achievements thus far, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not empowering myself by way of reading and writing more literature,” she said. “Yes, one needs to read as much as possible if one is ever to write for public consumption.”

She remembers that her passion for reading poetry and stories emerged at a very young age, and how that passion has grown into a love for writing them herself. “Writing connects the heart to the brains. It opens up an extra sense for the writer,” she said.

She believes that everyone, in particular young people today, must show determination to work harder for what they believe in, so that they do not have to rely on others to validate everything in their lives for them. “I always motivate young people to work hard in order to achieve their goals and realise their dreams,” she said. “I think that, as youths, we are failing and falling because we want people to do things for us. Young people must get to the stage where they do things independently.”

Bridget has also been nominated for an Mzansi Arts and Media Award (#MAMA2021) in the Best Poet category. She invites readers to vote for her by SMSing “MAMA 1984” to 40439.  SMSs cost R2. People can vote as many times as they wish.

“The nomination itself just means that I’m moving forward and that my talents are maturing, slowly but surely,” she said, adding how blessed she felt about her nomination and to be competing against others who share her passion for poetry.

“It’s a blessing to have your craft noticed. Whether I win or lose, just being reckoned alone means so much to me. I aim for a win, though!” she said. 

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.