Author and Rhodes University student L. Sojini is asking for people to vote for him.  

His story “Uncle Sbu” is one of the entries in Gamaphile’s competition for writers. Gamaphile is a new online platform for authors and readers to publish and read writing from the continent.  

Hoping to win the competition, L. Sojini think 2019 will be a memorable year for him for a couple of reasons.

First, he moved from Tembisa in Johannesburg to Makhanda (Grahamstown) to pursue his master's degree in creative writing studies. This, he believes, will open closed doors and improve his writing craft, a thing he's been doing for at least a decade.

His journalism  has appeared in publications such as GQ, Business Day and Books LIVE. He has written about and interviewed local and international stars like US comedian Chris Tucker, Australian choreographer Dein Perry, music group Dbn Nuts and Grammy Awards winner Wouter Kellerman.  

His first novel "Emzana: Shack Recollections" was published by Pole, Pole, Press in 2011. He has since written more unpublished novels.

The current manuscript – written in 2018 and entry to Gamaphile – is called Uncle Sbu.

The novel explores the humorous story of a 60-year-old uncle and his seven-year-old nephew, Vusi. He wrote the book to "explore or imagine the conversation that could happen between someone old and young".

"I thought it could be interesting to have a story where people from different age groups could have a discussion that wasn't dictated by age," he says. 

Believing “Uncle Sbu” to be his best piece of writing in his career, L. Sojini thinks the story is capable of walking away with the prize.

The winning author is set out to walk away with R5000 and be offered a publishing deal with Pan Macmillan.  

L. Sojini is confident he'll win as he claims to be social media savvy. But he says he won't let his confidence turn into arrogance. Besides pestering fellow students, he has enlisted the help of his brother Lulamile "Luks" Sojini to get more reads and reviews for “Uncle Sbu”.

L. Sojini is visible on social media platforms like Facebook where he engages with writers, students and people from all walks of life.

He also gives time to students who want sources for their journalism assignments. This, he believes, is a great way to network, give back the knowledge he's earned and at the same time grow his reputation.

You can vote for Uncle Sbu at this link free of charge:

https://www.gamaphile.co.za/story/read/128-uncle-sbu-synopsis