Botsotso 19

<p>The <em>Botsotso</em> literary journal started in 1996 as a monthly 4 page  insert in the <em>New Nation</em> an independent anti-apartheid South African weekly and reached over 80000 people at a time – largely politisized black workers and youth – with a selection of poems short stories and short essays that reflected the deep changes taking place in the country at that time. Since the closure of the <em>New Nation</em> in 1999 the journal has evolved into a stand-alone compilation featuring the same mix of genres and with the addition of photo essays and reviews. The <em>Botsotso </em>editorial policy remains committed to creating a mix of voices which highlight the diverse spectrum of South African identities and languages particularly those that are dedicated to radical expression and examinations of South Africa's complex society.</p><p><em>Botsotso 19: Fiction. True False and Fantastical </em>includes thirty-one pieces by a wide range of southern African writers accompanied with photographs by Moshe Sekete Potswana. The edition focuses on fiction that covers a wide range of themes and situations: Thabisani Ndlovu’s “Making a Woman” is about patriarchy and rising feminism in a Zimbabwean village Mpumelelo Cilibe’s “Keep the Ship Moving!” is set during the emergence of the first trade union at a Ford motor plant in the late 1970’s in Port Elizabeth South Africa and Muthal Naidoo’s anthropomorphic satire “Stone Walls” is about exploitative friendships. <em>Botsotso 19</em> displays the art of storytelling in many forms and styles and moves the reader through a wide range of emotions.</p>