The campaign to publish our short story collection is live! Please contribute if you can and spread the love to support the literary revolution in Lesotho!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ba-re-e-ne-re-short-story-collection-from-lesotho-book/x/319732#/
Be part of Lesotho’s literary revolution
Ba re e ne re was founded in 2011 when local visionary Liepollo Rantekoa hosted the first Ba re e ne re Literature Festival. Liepollo passed away tragically in 2012, though since then, we, her friends with the support of her family, have rallied together to strive for her vision of a more literate and creative Lesotho.
To expand the opportunities writers in Lesotho have to share their stories, this year we set out to design and publish a book of all new writing, which we plan to launch on the opening night of our literature festival in December. This essential book, which we’re calling “Likheleke tsa puo”, meaning “wordsmiths” in Sesotho, contains 23 original stories that have never been published before. They are written in both English and Lesotho’s original brand of Sesotho, because it’s incredibly important for us to promote indigenous language and allow writers to express themselves how they are most comfortable.
Though some of the earliest southern African literature came from Lesotho, such as Thomas Mofolo’s Chaka, there’s not a lot of publishing of non-academic fiction happening in Lesotho these days. And that’s exactly what makes this short story collection so special. Having hosted our literature festival in Lesotho for the last few years, we can tell you that Basotho writers are hungry for opportunities to get their stories out there and revive our nation’s literary tradition. We can’t wait to share their voices with you.
When people think of Lesotho, they might imagine mountains, horses, woven hats and sadly, HIV, but we’re determined to break the stereotypes of Lesotho by presenting new diverse narratives created by talented Basotho writers telling their own stories. These stories in particular, tackle the nuance of relationships, dreams, religion, sex, and culture in exciting new ways.
What We Need & What You Get
We need your help in bringing this book to life. When this project is funded, not only will contributors to this campaign be able to earn a copy of the book, you will also have been an important part of igniting Lesotho’s literary revolution. At the different reward levels you can earn a signed copy of the book, get your name printed in the book, and be an official sponsor of Ba re e re’s book launch event!
Our goal is to raise $900 to cover the book’s design, editing, printing and registration. We’re doing as much of the work as possible in house to keep costs low. Here’s the breakdown of what we’re asking for:
- $520 will go to the book printing
- $100 will go to book editing
- $100 will go to the book’s design
- $100 will go to the book’s registration
- $80 will cover transaction fees
Impacting Lesotho’s literary future
All sales of the book will go into a BA RE E NE RE BOOK FUND to support the production of future books published by Ba re e ne re so that we can continue to provide a platform to Lesotho’s talented writers. So your contribution will continue to multiply!
The more books we produce, the more Basotho youth can be inspired by local voices, further developing the cultures of reading and writing in Lesotho, and restoring Lesotho’s incredible literary tradition.
Other Ways You Can Help
We realize some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help:
- You can share our campaign with anyone who you think would be interested
- Connect with us via email to share ideas for future projects: barelitfest@gmail.com
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ba-re-e-ne-re-short-story-collection-from-lesotho-book/x/319732#/
Ba re e ne re | Arts Education 