When 22-year-old poet and author Joselyne Nzisabira chose a passion for writing, it wasn’t just for fun but also to raise awareness of situations in society that require attention.
Mostly, her topics aim to educate, and entertain young people. She recently released her book Urukundo Nanze to bring to light signs of unhealthy relationships and their perils.
"I wrote this book to raise awareness against intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and unsafe abortion."I decided to create the story using the genre of romance because I wanted to capture and attract more readers,” she states.
Nzisabira’s wish is for parents who read the book to comprehend the influence their conflict resolution will have on their children.
Her intended purpose of the book is to assist teenagers to make better and right decisions in relationships.
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Her book was also fueled by some of the scenarios she observed while in high school where students were putting romantic relationships before their future.
For Nzisabira, a number of students have forgotten the reason they are at school and given priority to dating which is fueled by infatuations most of the time.
This has resulted in failures as some learners spend most of their free time with their partners, instead of revising their books, or partaking in group work discussions.
Her book also offers guidance to young people to differentiate between love and lust, as some of them lose their virginity at a tender age hoping that when they offer their bodies, they would be loved more by their partners.
"Many young girls have made wrong decisions by having sexual intercourse with men to prove their love for them, a thing that has pushed them to opt for unsafe abortion,” she emphasises.
Nzisabira hopes that the book heartens teenagers to seek advice from elders before taking some decisions, especially those that could harm their lives.
She encourages youngsters to find meaningful friendships that will open their eyes to their mistakes, but also show them the right path to take because bad company corrupts good character just as the bible states.
Since it was her first time writing in Kinyarwanda, it was a little hard, which extended her editing time. Though she wrote the book in one week, editing it with the help of editors took about three months.
Nzisabira wanted the book to be in Kinyarwanda for the sake of the next generation. It was more for cultural preservation.
"My other challenge was lack of enough money to publish and print the book as I am still in school and have no job yet.
However I am glad that I had some savings from my upkeep. The prices of printing in Rwanda are way high. This may limit talented writers from sharing their craft, knowledge, and experience.”