My name is Jane Rumbidzai Semu. I am a Zimbabwean living in Cape Town, South Africa.

Thabo’s Diary is the first story I have submitted to Nalibali. I did it as a response to Nal’ibali’s Call for stories.

My inspiration for writing children’s stories comes from my late mother. As a child, I grew up in a township where there was no access to a local library or public play area.

My mother changed that for me. She read and told stories to me from many story books. This took me to many places in the world and fuelled my imagination. I would always be happy and excited. She read in English, Shona and Malawian. That spark which started long ago for stories never left my heart. Whenever I write, I always go back to children’s stories because I know how much of an impact they have and what inspiration they hold.

Before I even came to South Africa, I always got excited when I saw Nal’ibali on TV. When the opportunity arose to write for them, I could not let it pass. It is a huge honour for me to contribute to a legacy such as theirs. As an individual there is only so much I can do, but with them, the outreach is great.

Publishing with Nal’ibali makes me feel at home and welcome as a writer in my African community. As a growing writer, it affirms that my voice counts towards our literature.

To those who wish to be children’s story authors, I would say do not think twice! There is a child out there who will meet with your story and be inspired in ways that are profound. All they are waiting for is for you to begin. Nal’ibali is always there as well to support local writers.

African children need all the chances they can get. Nal’ibali has already set a good platform for that. I would urge any writer to make a stop and contribute once, or many times, for our today and our future.