Botswana—the land of poets博茨瓦納
——詩人的國度

British Council

博茨瓦納，又譯為波札那，全稱博茨瓦納共和國，是位于非洲南部的內陸國。 在博茨瓦納，詩歌散發著蓬勃的生命力。 卡托洛就是眾多博茨瓦納詩人中的一位，本文是一篇對她的個人專訪。

It seems that poetry is alive and well in Botswana. The Botswana Arts Hub—for example—provides a platform for all kinds of arts activities and features aspiring as well as established poets and writers.Poetry events like “Awakening Dreams” take poets into schools where enthusiastic and talented young people can share creative ideas. One student, and keen poet, Katlo Gasewagale kindly agreed to talk to us about her life and poetry despite being right in the middle of her high school exams.

Hello Katlo, where are you right now?

I am in Gaborone in my dorm room at Maru-a-pula High School. I am on my bed by an open window, funnily enough! When I look outside, I see trees and buildings in perfect harmony with each other's existence.

You love reading and poetry—so are you mainly studying arts subjects?

Actually, I also have a great interest in the sciences—Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. I also like Economics and Computing.

Have you always been a literature enthusiast?

Yes, I've always been an avid reader although it was—and still is—just a hobby for me. It all began when I was bored at home and started rummaging（翻尋） through the family collection of books.As a younger kid, fantasy stories appealed to me the most, but as time progressed, so did my taste in literature.

Do you remember any particular books that inspired you?

I remember that I read the play The Chief's Bride by Desmond D. Phiri when I was about seven or eight years old. Even though I didn't understand half of the words, the story made a lot of sense to me and it felt good enough to just read it. As the first book I ever completed, it opened doors for many more to come.

When did you start to read and write poetry?

My mother bought me a ticket to watch Exodus Live Poetry in Maitisong and I was immediately hooked. A year later she passed away, and naturally I turned to poetry for refuge. I first started writing poetry when I felt like I had a lot to say but there was nobody around to listen.

Is there a lively literature scene near where you live?

Yes, I was in the audience for the Awakening Dreams event in my school when I first heard about the Botswana Arts Hub. The best thing about it is that it gives many talented Batswana（people of Botswana） a platform to broadcast themselves and awakens all those interested in the beauty of poetry and all other forms of art that are in the country.

How do you see yourself and poetry in future?

Poetry will always be a part of my life and I do not plan on changing that any time soon. I would not mind pursuing a major in Structural or Chemical Engineering, though I would love to see myself go far with poetry, even as far as being an internationally acclaimed “amateur poet”.

Learning activities Activity 1

Literature can be divided into many different categories (or “genres”). Put these words into the correct column.

Activity 2

Replace the underlined words with another expression found in the text.

_____________1. I am a very keen reader.

_____________2. As a child, I really enjoyed stories created from the imagination.

____________3. I became devoted to poetry after going to the event with my mother.

_____________4. The Botswana Arts website gives writers and artists a place to show what they can do.

Over to you

Although she is a busy student planning to study sciences at university, Katlo reads and writes poetry with great enthusiasm. What about you? What kinds of literature do you enjoy reading or even writing? Have your interests changed as you got older? Talk about this with a friend.

Facts

BOTSWANA

POPULATION: 2,065,398

CAPITAL CITY: Gaborone

AREA: 581,730 km2

Word search

Find these poetry-related terms in the grid.

rhythm expression poetry rhyme structure dreams poem harmony