TENDO MATTHEW NDAWULA, Grade 12
UWCEA Moshi Campus
Have any of you ever asked yourselves, can I write? Will people like my writing if I share it? Even if I could, what would I write? Well, these are questions that I asked myself to build up to what I recall as one of the most influential and wonderful events of my life. During my first year at UWC I created what I call the “lit club" - literature club (don’t judge). Before I go on to describe what the club is all about, I must first inform you of the reasons I started it in the first place. It was just like any other day, I was seated right in front of my laptop wondering If I should start writing a story or not. After hours of battling with that though I finally decided to begin writing. And for the next month I got up every morning to write this book, which at the time I thought would be a New York Times Bestseller-the book was about Africa and I depicted it through the challenges of a young individual that was simply chasing his purpose. Unfortunately after reaching chapter 5 I lost interest in it and I did not even consult anyone concerning the story - I just forgot about it. The reason I share this is because many people write marvellous pieces of literature, but never get a chance to share them with the world or even their communities and I think this is a major issue. That is why I decided to create the Lit club; a place for people to share their talents, dreams, emotions and life experiences.
Fast Forward, six months into the club, my club members and I decided to host an open mic night for people to share their talents in all types of literature and arts. The title of the event was “LE CABARET” -French for something (a group member suggested, I forgot). Anyway, the night was incredible, we had about twenty people come up to share their short stories, poems, acts, music and so on. What I noticed that night whilst individuals performed, would go on to change my life afterwards. I came to the realisation that we all have certain gifts, but because of all the pressure society exerts on us regarding whether we will ever be famous or even whether we are good enough to present our ideas with the world we decide not to share. However, as I performed (yes I performed at my own event) and as I watched others perform, I concluded that societal pressure is, to put it bluntly, hogwash. This is because people have stories and ideas that are not only touching and amusing, but also can change the world. A lack of confidence and a suitable platform can impede these messages from reaching the world, so from that day forward I decide to always remember that when it comes to literature it's all about expressing yourself; the after effect is less important than the first step and that is why I hope to continue creating platforms for people to express themselves.
PS. If you've reached the end of this article, I would like to share something important with you. Something you should never forget if you are one of those that have all sorts of stories to share; JUST SHARE THEM FOR GOODNESS SAKE, IT'S ALL ABOUT EXPRESSION!
Fast Forward, six months into the club, my club members and I decided to host an open mic night for people to share their talents in all types of literature and arts. The title of the event was “LE CABARET” -French for something (a group member suggested, I forgot). Anyway, the night was incredible, we had about twenty people come up to share their short stories, poems, acts, music and so on. What I noticed that night whilst individuals performed, would go on to change my life afterwards. I came to the realisation that we all have certain gifts, but because of all the pressure society exerts on us regarding whether we will ever be famous or even whether we are good enough to present our ideas with the world we decide not to share. However, as I performed (yes I performed at my own event) and as I watched others perform, I concluded that societal pressure is, to put it bluntly, hogwash. This is because people have stories and ideas that are not only touching and amusing, but also can change the world. A lack of confidence and a suitable platform can impede these messages from reaching the world, so from that day forward I decide to always remember that when it comes to literature it's all about expressing yourself; the after effect is less important than the first step and that is why I hope to continue creating platforms for people to express themselves.
PS. If you've reached the end of this article, I would like to share something important with you. Something you should never forget if you are one of those that have all sorts of stories to share; JUST SHARE THEM FOR GOODNESS SAKE, IT'S ALL ABOUT EXPRESSION!
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