WRITER HONOURED

The Bloemskrywerskring (Writers’ club) of Heidedal in Mangaung has presented author Omoseye Bolaji with an award for his outstanding contributions to Free State, and African literature. He was given a trophy and certificate for producing “excellent, thrilling fiction on a consistent basis”

The award was presented to Bolaji by Marika Du Plessis, Secretary of the club, who said: “Libraries are of very great significance, as the young ones should learn good habits of reading from an early age. The great thing about Mr. Bolaji is that his books have a lot of appeal because of their local colour. His literary productivity has been very consistent and seems to scale new heights on a yearly basis”

Omoseye Bolaji has published well over ten books of gripping fiction. He created the Tebogo Mystery series which is now world famous. Books under this series include Tebogo Investigates, Tebogo’s spot of bother and Tebogo Fails. Bolaji is also the author of novels like People of the Townships, The Ghostly Adversary, and Impossible Love.

Flaxman Qoopane, well known Free State writer and long-time colleague of Bolaji, said: “It is a pity that African writers are not celebrated in great fashion, unlike their counterparts overseas. It’s very irritating, but we hope things will become better. For example I have inaugurated a literary museum, but so many of our people do not know the importance of this. This produces the incongruous situation where writers like Bolaji are celebrated overseas much more than they are in their own continent”

Indeed, Omoseye Bolaji is now one of Africa’s top creative writers. This can be ascertained from the hundreds of references on his writings on the internet. Among many awards, Bolaji was the first black person to be conferred with the Chancellor’s Medal by the University of the Free State (in 2007)

Bolaji, who lives in Bloemfontein, is the author of over 20 books which are internationally recognized. They include The Termagant, The Guillotine, The Subtle Transgressor, Tebogo and the Haka, Tebogo and the epithalamion, and Tebogo and the pantophagist.

- Courtesy of FS Sun (May 28 2010 edition)