MEET THE AUTHOR : Author who uses language of love

Naomi Mwakanyamale Ng’imba says that writing is her calling. She started as a blogger, her first fiction story went live in 2015. ‘More than Saying’ received a lot of positive feedback.

She has self-published her second story, ‘Endless Love’ in hard copy. Her book is available in six regions in Tanzania for Sh 10,000. Her book can be ordered through her blog: mtazamohalisi.com

You write in Kiswahili while away from Tanzania, what is your relationship with this language? Does it make you feel closer to home?

I was born and raised in Tanzania. Living in the US and raising our children here forces me to speak English all the time, but my thought process is in Swahili. Writing stories, connects me to Swahili speakers all over the world.

I feel closer to home then. I feel connected to my people. Love is a language we all speak. I write these love stories in Swahili to reach everybody. In Tanzania not everyone can speak English, but they all speak language of love, Swahili.

Is that why you write love stories?

I believe in love. Being married to my high school sweetheart and raising our kids, I have to have love. I have seen and experienced the power of love, love makes things right. The world needs love. My stories are a reminder of that.

How did you start off as a writer?

I have always had a gift of storytelling. My dad saw that since I was young and used to tease me about it when I made everybody laugh with my stories. But the education system in Tanzania does not encourage that.

Yet, through life triggers I started using my gift. My husband pushed me into writing and supported me financially.

I wasn’t sure at first because of my education background and my career in general. But the encouragement I received from my husband and my little sister was the much needed catalyst to my storytelling and writing journey.

What is your writing process like?

Most of the time, I get story ideas when in bed trying to sleep. My bed time is the time I think and process everything going on in my life.

Once the idea is born, I give it time to grow. Through days the idea become a story, that’s when I put it in writing.

But that’s not the end, the story continue to grow and change as I write. And even during the day, when an idea creeps up in my mind, I will run to my computer and write. The title mostly comes at the end of my writing.

How do you find balance between writing and your day job/family?

I am a full time wife and mother. I work and write part time. I came to learn that to achieve things in life one needs to go an extra mile.

In order to write, I had to make a lot of changes in my daily routine. I mostly sit down to write at night, when done with my responsibilities as an employee, wife and a mother.

When everybody is asleep, I call it “Naomi’s time”. The moment I pour my heart out, I am most alive and joyful at that time, that’s my moment!

I have also learned to incorporate my writing with homework time. Initially when our daughters Trinity and Trinas just started school, they would need all of my attention during their school homework. They require less now, I have only got Trisun who needs my fully attention. This gives me additional time to write.

Where do you see yourself going?

I want to become a world renowned Swahili novelist. I want to reach bigger platforms like Amazon kindle, publish audio-books so people can read and listen anywhere, anytime. I also envision owning my own magazine.

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