Alboricah Tokologo Rathupetsane
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Witsie shortlisted for 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Alboricah Tokologo Rathupetsane’s (BSc Eng 2016) short story “The Faraway Things” has been shortlisted for 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
The prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 54 Member States. It is the only prize in the world where entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Greek, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish.
The stories on the 2020 shortlist were selected from 5107 entries from 49 Commonwealth countries.
Chair of the Judges, Ghanaian writer and editor Nii Ayikwei Parkes, said: “At a time like this, with the world beset with myriad challenges and a devastating virus, the stories are grounded in faith, hope and the humanity we all share.”
The judges will go on to choose a winner for each of the five regions. These regional winners will be announced on 2 June, before being published online by the literary magazine Granta. The overall winner will be announced on 7 July.
Alboricah grew up in a rural village in Limpopo, but lives and works in Port Elizabeth. She told Wits Alumni Relations that her writing offers a welcome balance to the technical writing and maths she encounters in her day job as an engineer. She completed a version of the traditional Proust Questionnaire:
- What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The freedom to do anything I want, whenever I want. - What is your greatest fear?
Disappointing my mother - What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Laziness and fear of taking risks. - What is your greatest extravagance?
Art supplies and books. I love drawing and painting. I can buy the most expensive set of paints and canvasses and not blink over the cost. I can also splurge on books, especially ones I’ve been anticipating. - What is your current state of mind?
Pragmatic. I’m always looking up art and writing competitions to participate in since we’re now spending so much time at home. I try to write and draw as much as possible, also just for enjoyment. My mind is currently very open to creative stimuli. - What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Patience (good things come to those wait) - Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“To write/draw/read/(any verb) or not to write/draw/read/(any verb)? That is the question.” - When and where were you happiest?
When I was 17, my little sister was born. I’d always wanted a sister and could imagine us being best friends in the future and ganging up on my brother. - Which talent would you most like to have?
Linguistics and martial arts. One of my goals is to travel the world and experience different cultures. I love hearing different languages and often attempt the phrases I manage to remember. I also like fancying myself a ninja sometimes, prancing about gracefully with insane flexibility. I crave that total control over your physical being. - What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Completing book 1 and 2 of a series I started writing in high school. - If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?
I’d want to come back as an astronaut in a time when there’s interplanetary travel. - Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere close to the ocean, in a cute nature-nestled cottage, but somehow within access to a lot of modern day conveniences (libraries, dance clubs, cinemas). - What is your most treasured possession?
My book collection and my external hard drive (has collection of south korean dramas). - What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Never trying anything because “it is your lot in life”. Accepting that circumstances can’t change or get better. - What is your favourite occupation?
Reading - What do you most value in your friends?
They introduce me to new things because they know I like new experiences. Friends that challenge me to go beyond my current efforts. - Who is your hero in fiction?
V from the movie “V for Vendetta” - Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Most accurate answer: My great great grandmother. She moved her family to land she decided would be more beneficial to their livestock (ours was one of the first families to settle down in the village where my mother grew up). My great great grandmother also strongly believed that girls should be educated. Most well-known answer: Joan of Arc. I think had I been born in that era, I would have been capable of disguising myself as a man to achieve my goal. - What is your greatest regret?
One of my closest friends passed away in 2017. I kept putting off going to visit her because I wanted to stock up on leave days from work (therefore have a long visit). When she passed away, I realised that I should have just gone to see her without trying to make a vacation out of it. - What is your motto?
Take chances and make the most of every single day.