‘WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR’ HAND-OVER

PUBLISH’D AFRIKA officially handed over complimentary book copies to Judge Key Dingake, at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, on Saturday. Justice Dingake’s book, ‘Without Fear or Favour’, is an abridged biography detailing his rise from an ordinary peasant boy to Africa’s first PNG judge. Judge Dingake is currently a Justice of the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea and the Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone. In this book, Moses Magadza explores Justice Dingake’s background and his tenure as a servant of the law in several jurisdictions across the globe. Magadza unearths life experiences that shaped Justice Dingake’s passion for justice and his progressive jurisprudence: his desire to live the promise of the Constitution. At the heart of Justice Dingake’s story is his background as a son of peasant parents, which appears to have inspired him to excel in his chosen career. The book demonstrates his profound mark on Botswana, Seychelles and Papua New Guinea jurisprudence that changed lives for the better in those societies.His progressive jurisprudence, celebrated across the world, will reverberate into the 21st century and beyond and is bound inspire generations yet unborn.The project took six months to complete bringing to a close one of the most challenging yet educational projects PUBLISH’D AFRIKA has had to undertake. About The Author:Moses Magadza is a Zimbabwean national and a teacher, journalist, guitarist, song writer, blogger, academic and communications practitioner. He has won 11 media awards including the SADC Media Award (2008). With more than 20 years of media and communication experience, he has published in peer reviewed publications. His articles have appeared in more than 30 publications all over the world. On the academic front, Magadza holds a (PhD) Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies; MA in Media Studies; BA(Hons) Media Studies; Diploma in Journalism and Communications; Diploma in Education; and a Diploma in Copy Editing and Proofreading (UK).

R19 500 Up For Grabs

PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine’s ‘Spoiling The Broth’ Short Story Competition Returns

Following the successes of PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Online Literary Magazine’s ‘Spoiling The Broth’ Volume 1, 2 and 3 anthologies, which saw a total of 35 aspiring authors unearthed through the monthly short story contest, the competition is set to return with a bang in November 2024.
Once again, we hope to unearth at least two writers a month over a period of 12 months, who will then go on to form part of the 2025 Spoiling The Broth anthology Volume 4. Already, the editing and publishing process of Volume 3 has begun, which boosts a total of 15 writers.
The PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Online Literary Magazine Short Story Competition was officially established in December 2021, and started operating in January 2022. Monthly, we invite writers to submit short stories of between 1800 and 2500 words, under a theme of their choice. The stories are then posted on our Facebook page and on the website, and readers vote for the best story for the month. The story that obtains the most votes (PEOPLE’S CHOICE) wins R500, while the PUBLISHER’S CHOICE AWARD is worthy a whooping R1000.
While the writers and their works are exposed to the 18 000-plus following our page has amassed (new followers join the page daily), the stories are exposed to an even bigger audience as every writer is allowed to canvass for votes and advertise his or her story on various platforms, exposing the page to an even bigger audience monthly. The winners are then featured in our monthly issue of the PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Online Literary magazine, giving them further publicity and assisting them to build themselves into brands.
In-between, we offer mentoring programs, based on the areas we identified to be lacking in each writer’s work. Writing tips are also posted on the page regularly, as well as other worthy calls for submission from various other art and craft organisations. Already, this mentoring program has produced published authors such as Anathi Kom, Zeripah Amoni Phiri and Matumelo Mafoko. All three were published by PUBLISH’D AFRIKA’s Adopt-An-Author Program.
While the competition has unearthed writers from every corner of the country, the PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Online Literary Magazine has gone a step further. Through the magazine, we have brought to the fore hidden talent from various parts of the country, that no one would have known about had the magazine not been established. We also invite established authors, artists and other established creatives to give tips on anything from writing, publishing, entrepreneurship (using your art as a business), building yourself into a brand etc.
People who have honoured our invites include American author Eve Fairbanks, Nhlanhla Ngema of Sarafina and Broadway’s The Lion King fame and founder of Keeloz Global Entertainment, and Kirsten Miller who won the prestigious international writing competition, the Niso Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for 2016. She is also the author of six books. We have also had the courageous Tshidi Monkoe, author of Prison Love, gracing our pages, best-selling authors Takalani M and Busisekile Khumalo, and poetry connoisseur Frank Meintjies.
Look out for the calls for submissions set to be announced in November. In the meantime, put pen to paper and craft those stories that seek to redefine Africa’s narrative.
You can order the previous volumes from any of your favourite authors who are part of the anthologies, or contact PUBLISH’D AFRIKA directly at info@publishdafrika.com, or WhatsApp +2783 487 4440.

Spoiling The Broth – A PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine Anthology
It is said that too many cooks spoil the broth. This broth, comprising of writers unearthed through PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Online Literary Magazine’s Short Story Competition, seeks to shatter this myth.
Spoiling The Broth Vol.1-3 are multi-themed collections of new short stories by authors from across the African continent. They were all monthly winners in tightly contested short story writing competitions that were held since the competition was established in 2021.
The magazine’s monthly competition draws over 2000 writers from across the continent with each call for submissions. Each story in the anthologies is distinctly African, the characters brutally honest and relatable and the narrative geared at redefining Africa’s narrative.
The books, Volume 1 and 2 of Spoiling The Broth, were released mid-April 2023. Volume 3 will be published in March 2025.

PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Adopt-An-Author Program A Call For Submissions

Each year, Publish’d Afrika Magazine sponsors the editing, proofreading, manuscript development and ultimately publication of three aspiring authors’ works, at no cost to them. These are aspiring authors that we identify independently, whose works in our opinion stand out and show promise. The authors also have to be willing to be mentored further on the craft.

This year, the indications are that we will increase the number to 10 writers. In March 2025, these writers will form part of PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine’s annual Spoiling The Broth anthology (Volume 3) launch and workshop, where a number of industry experts will further help to hone their craft.

The idea is not only to help the 10 writers to publish their books, but to also inculcate in them the skills to build a fan base, and to develop themselves into brands synonymous with literature. While there is no age limit to writers who are accepted into the program, preference would be given to:

Writers under the age of 35.
Manuscripts must be written in English
Novels
YA Fiction
Short story collection
Memoirs/autobiography
Self-help books
Only open to SADC countries
We will not accept poetry or religious manuscripts at this time.

The PUBLISH’D AFRIKA’s Adopt-An-Author Program was established in 2021, with the publication of, amongst others, Zeripah Amoni’s book, I Am Also A Woman. The project was wholly funded by Mr Success Moripa, of Moripe Group of Companies. The project gained momentum with the publication of Matumelo Mafoko’s book, Through The Silent Tsunami. Matumelo’s project was funded by PUBLISH’D AFRIKA, after a sponsor pulled out.
Anathi Kom’s poetry anthology, A Tree of Life, soon followed. This was a collaboration between PUBLISH’D AFRIKA and the University of Fort Hare. Anathi has gone on to make a name for herself, also becoming a contributor to PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine’s Spoiling The Broth anthology Vol1.

How to get spotted by PUBLISH’D AFRIKA Magazine scouts? In this day and age, writing talent alone is not enough to guarantee success as an author. Authors now have to unashamedly market their crafts to death. You no longer just have to sell your book, but also sell yourself as a brand. Put yourself and your work out there. Get tongues wagging, be in people’s faces and hog the spotlight, in a positive way of course.

Those are the people we are looking for; scribes who do not think publishing a book alone is enough. Writers who have laid the foundation and now need to be met halfway. Writers who are prepared to work equally hard for the success of their projects.

Unsolicited manuscripts will not be accepted. However, writers are welcome to send us a synopsis of their work (no longer than two pages, Times New Roman or Calibri 12), along with one chapter, an author bio and a detailed marketing plan they have put together.
Do you have numbers that you can show us? A fan base or following that would readily consume your work should it be published? Basically, can you show if there will be a return to the investment PUBLISH’D AFRIKA might make on you and your work?
Submissions open on 18 June 2024 and will close on 18 August 2024. Send your submissions (synopsis, one chapter, an author bio and detailed marketing plan only) to Sukoluhle Nontokozo Mdlongwa at info@publishdafrika.com.

PUBLISH’D AFRIKA CHRONICLES

BOOK #1: I AM ALSO A WOMAN

By Zeripah Phiri
ISBN: 978-1-77626-078-2
Pages: 140
Publisher: PUBLISH’D AFRIKA

While her peers had already forgotten how many times they had gone through their monthly menstrual circles, Zeripah Phiri still hadn’t seen hers, and she was already 19 going on 20. But she didn’t think much of it. She believed she might have been a late bloomer. After all, she had always been skinny and petite growing up, and even her breasts hadn’t fully developed by the time she turned 18.
It wasn’t until she got married at 21, that the matter of her menstrual period became a sore point in her marriage. She also found that she and her husband couldn’t consummate their marriage – he just couldn’t penetrate her even after using the best lubricants money can buy. Doctors also couldn’t help, so they turned to prophets and traditional healers – with disastrous results.
“One sangoma accused my grandmother of having cast a spell on me and magically stole my womb,” says Zeripah, reminiscing. “Another instructed me to insert a coarse corn cob into my vagina three times a day, in combination with an assortment of concoctions, in a bid to widen my vaginal walls. You can imagine how painful that was.”
On the home front, the in-laws were understandably unhappy that their makoti still hadn’t conceived, two years into the marriage. Zeripah’s father-in-law went as far as to urge his son to take a second wife, as he couldn’t bear the thought of ‘a piece of furniture occupying space in my son’s house’. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before the husband started having a wandering eye, eventually starting a secret relationship with a woman who was known to the family.
‘I Am Also A Woman’ is a true-life story of Zeripah Phiri, who was born without a womb, a condition known as MRKH. It is a rare congenital disorder that affects the female reproductive system. It is characterised by an underdeveloped vagina and uterus. The uterus may be small or absent, and the vagina is typically shortened, hence her husband couldn’t penetrate her. The condition affects one in 5000 women worldwide.
“I was already married when I discovered I suffered from this condition,” says Zeripah. “It basically means I can’t conceive even if I wanted to, and that I had wasted thousands on zangoma, fake prophets, quacks and traditional healers, who all had convinced me that they could cure me. Funny enough, shortly after I published the book, I even got offers from men who vowed that their manhoods were divine and that they could give me a baby after just one night in bed with them.”
Most women with this – at least those who are in relationships and are aware that they suffer from MRKH – find themselves having to use vibrators not because they have the urge for sex, but because the vagina tends to close up if not penetrated for an extended period of time.
“Those who are married or in relationships, who have husbands or partners who work far from home, have to continuously ‘service’ themselves with vibrators,” says Zeripah. “If they don’t, intercourse with their partners will be a painful, horrendous experience on their return.”
Zeripah says she wrote the book to share her life story, to teach others her perspective and prove to herself that she is not alone. She believes there are others who will whisper, “Me too”. She has decided to come out of the proverbial closet, express and pour out her heart without interruption.
“I believe that by doing this, I will be able to reach out to a lot of people going through the same reality as mine; women who bore the brunt from the same syndrome but are not ready to open up,” she says. “I feel that opening up your wounds helps in healing.”
“In this book, I share my life story, what I went through until the day I took the bold decision to talk about my condition. I must say, this journey of infertility is so draining at times, but I have learnt not to let my crown fall.”