Botsotso 17: Fiction, Poetry, Art Work, Essays, Reviews

The Botsotso literary journal started in 1996 as a monthly 4 page  insert in the New Nation,
an independent anti-apartheid South African weekly and reached over
80,000 people at a time – largely politisized black workers and youth –
with a selection of poems, short stories and short essays that reflected
the deep changes taking place in the country at that time. Since the
closure of the New Nation in 1999, the journal has evolved into
a stand-alone compilation featuring the same mix of genres, and with
the addition of photo essays and reviews. The Botsotso editorial
policy remains committed to creating a mix of voices which highlight
the diverse spectrum of South African identities and languages,
particularly those that are dedicated to radical expression and
examinations of South Africa’s complex society.

Botsotso 17
reflects the depth and creative range of the South African cultural and
emotional environment, as well as the broader social currents in which
they were spawned; and that the coexisting phenomena of love and
violence, alienation and precious comings-together mingle to create a
unique, if familiar, panorama as streams of words reveal the inner
meanings of so many different lives.