Maria Haipinge
Inspired mostly by his late mom who used to write poems in the mid-2000s, Sakaria Ipinge Haludilu started writing in 2014 and now finds joy and purpose in writing.
The 28-year-old author from the Oshigambo settlement in northern Namibia published his first book, ‘Joyous’ in 2017. The book tells the story of the birth, growth and adulting of a boy named Joy, and entails the making of hard choices about what he loves and believes.
“He (Joy) went through it all, through family secrets and had to fight for his place in the supernatural world,” explained Haludilu.
The naming of the book was inspired by the free spirit of Joy, who “was not fazed by anything, and is a smart and happy being”.
He told Youth Corner that feedback on ‘Joyous’ was sensational and readers requested a sequel.
Haludilu then published his second book ‘On Your Face’ last year. This book spreads laughter all around as it shares the funny tale of a charismatic gentleman named Mike Jacobs who had one of the weirdest and most stressful days of his life.
“One would have to read the book to understand exactly what this means,” he said.
Asked why he wrote this genre, he answered: “I believe the introvert side of me makes me have wishful and wild thinking”.
The creative targets the youth and individuals with wild imaginations to take them along through his ideas.
Haludilu is resolute to change the lack of reading culture in Namibia, “and an interesting piece of work may just do that”.
Queried on where he gets inspiration for his work, he said he usually gains ideas and information from his surroundings.
“For the book I’m working on now, I did research on different people, asking them indirectly what they think about the theme I’m working on.”
Haludilu, who is a commerce educator by profession, described getting his first book published as a strenuous process, saying information to publish books in Namibia was scarce and companies that do publish were unwilling to help with the process.
“I had to wait for about three years; knocking door-to-door for help but nothing came through for me. One of my uncles informed me not to give up until I finally got it published in 2017.”
This struggle made Haludilu start offering coaching services to fellow authors and using social media as a platform to promote writers.
Unlike the first book, he was fortunate to receive full financial assistance for his second book when he submitted his manuscript for a competition and won first place.
When those who want to become published authors ask for suggestions, he always says: “Just Start!”
A successful writer comes from writing with passion, he noted.
“Anyone who can put words together for a target audience can be a good writer. It’s, however, dependent on how one crafts the sentences to take the readers along.”
“If it’s one’s calling, then they should do it. Also, I encourage them because of the stories they tell me. They have different backgrounds and what they want to write about amazes me. Writing is an excellent way to express yourself.”
The author considers feedback from the writings as a reward.
Haludilu is currently working on his third book and looks forward to inspiring more with his exciting work.
He writes when not teaching or coaching cricket, through which he won a couple of awards.
Haludilu is Windhoek-based and can be reached on 081 657 3778 or sakkiehaludilu@gmail.com.