Writing helped a young author find healing

Writer and poet Anathi Kom, 20, a native of Butterworth, revealed that she was raised by her grandmother after her mother passed away when she was eight years old. She was sexually abused when she was 18, which is how she became pregnant and gave birth to her daughter.

In 2022, Kom published a book titled The Tree of Life. Her life story is the subject of this book, in which she discusses the highs and lows of a childhood that was not always easy.

She says that the pain compelled her to write down the difficulties she had as a young woman as a means of self-healing.

She says that she began writing at the age of 15 with a poem titled Lamplough Senior Secondary School, which she describes as a tribute to the teachers who she credits with influencing her and inspiring her to write more.

“I really think that everything happens for a reason and that fresh starts are liberating. I understood that I needed to care for and cherish my child. This book’s goals are to bring healing, inspire hope, and instil the value of forgiveness in readers,” Kom said.

Kom, who is pursuing a BSc in Animal Science at Fort Hare, continued by stating that she views the difficulties she faced in her youth as a lesson that she had to learn to conquer in order to become the Anathi she is today.

“I am someone, and my sorrow is not visible on my face. I didn’t flee from the difficulties I encountered; instead, I overcame them, and they helped me grow, to grow stronger, and become more open. I have learned from life that things always move forward,” Kom said.

Kom has accomplished a great deal thus far in her life. She has performed her poetry at the Leadership Seminar in Johannesburg, where she said to be alongside the well-known author Nozibele Mayaba.

The World I Am Praying For, Kom’s poem, was chosen and included in the collection of poems titled Tranquility by other writers from different countries. Kom is one of the 66 writers who were chosen among writers in 50 different countries.