Young author publishes first anthology book
By Confidente Reporter
AN aspiring young writer and poet, Saara Kalumbu became one of the youngest authors in the country to publish an anthology book titled ‘The Weight of My Words’.
She released the book on October 23, the same day as her 23rd birthday celebrations.
The book contains various poems of empowerment, success, love, culture, and life in general.
Kalumbu says her creative work came about after she had a few articles of hope and encouragement published in a local daily.
‘War of exposure’, ‘Do we depend on teachers’, ‘Like five fingers on my hand’, and ‘African folks should loosen up’ are some of the articles that were published in the newspaper.
Apart from that, her writing talent also launched her to stardom when one of her poems got a chance to be part of the Namibian anthology book entitled ‘My heart in your hands’.
In her new book, the first section contains her published articles, which she says was one of her achievements and had to be included in the book.
“The book is dedicated to all book lovers and poets, specifically everyone who finds him or herself between the pages of the book. It has no age boundaries; everyone can have a taste from the artistic work, and challenge my thoughts,” says Kalumbu.
‘Let Me Be’, ‘Coming on Strong’ and ‘Face Your Fears’ are her favourite pieces in the books. She says all of her poems are inspiring. “I can’t tell which is the most inspiring, and so I leave that in the hands of the readers’’.
She also wrote a poem dedicated to local celebrity, Maria Nepembe, whom she said is her inspiration.
Hailing from Oshalongo village in the Oshikoto region, Kalumbu’s passion for writing was always displayed through short poems which she would post on her social media platforms.
“People started commenting and telling me to take my writings to the next level.”
She stated that this is when she realised that she needed to compile a book and the book was launched recently in Windhoek at an event where Professor Scholastika Ipinge was the guest of honour.
Kalumbu completed her Grade 12 at Ekulo Senior Secondary School, and she is a graduate in English from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). She is currently busy with her honors degree and says she cannot wait to dive in for a master’s degree in either linguistics or literature.