Tag: poet - Mala Naidoo's Book World

Often the women around us, those we interact with, those who do not ask for acknowledgement and serve their life’s calling with unstinting passion, must be noted to celebrate them and say thank you for who they are and what they have shared and continue to share.

Today amid the chaos in the world, social isolation physically separates us but has allowed us to deepen and broaden our thinking without the usual everyday distractions.

This quietening of the mind has heightened my appreciation for the women that inspire and have inspired many lives. As a writer of thriller fiction and contemporary women’s fiction, it is befitting that I pay homage to the women who have impacted my world.

From the corporate world, writing and publishing and health care, here are three women I salute today.

Kalyani Pillay (Entrepreneur)

Former CEO, of SABRIC, (South African Banking Risk Information Centre) Kalyani Pillay resides in Sandton, South Africa. Kalyani has inspired many in her passion for instituting protocols for the elimination of bank fraud. A job that entailed being a globetrotter spreading innovative ideas on how to protect ourselves from financial scams, and as an advisor to large corporations, particularly banks. Kalyani Pillay has been head-hunted for presentations at international conferences in her relentless fight against fraud. She has worked as a lawyer, State Attorney for Gauteng, and Special Advisor to the Head of the National Prosecuting Authority in South Africa before she joined the ranks of SABRIC as CEO. Her resilience, dedication, optimism, and integrity are qualities that inspire for as long as I can remember.

Here is Kalyani Pillay’s inspiring interview with, Dudu Msomi on her show, ‘WisdomPersonified’ to illustrate the passion, courage, determination, and humility of a woman of note.

Brenda Mohammed (Author/Poet)

Trinidadian author and Founder of the How to Write for Success Group, a rapidly growing literary group. Brenda Mohammed promotes rising stars in literature, and assists in expanding the repertoire of existing, established authors with selfless commitment through collaborative writing of anthologies in the prevention of suicide and against domestic abuse. She is a noteworthy multi-award-winning novelist and poet. As a former banker and seasoned traveller she exudes a resilient spirit as a cancer survivor, depicted in her memoir I am Cancer Free, and one who has the Midas touch in creating bestsellers. These attributes make Brenda Mohammed an inspirational woman as my peer and mentor in my role as an administrator in the HTWFS group. Brenda’s book How to Write for Success offers nuggets of wisdom on writing and publishing, serving as a handbook for writers of any genre. Her warmth and generous nature in promoting the love for reading in children is evident in her contributions and interactions with schools in Trinidad. Brenda Mohammed is highly valued by her administrators and followers in the How to Write for Success group.

It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.

~Ella Fitzgerald

Queenie Naidoo (Health Care Professional)

Retired South African nurse, residing in Australia, Queenie Naidoo, in her eighties today, is passionate about healing as she ever was. She served the poor and destitute, the ill and dying with devotion. She was fondly known to many as, ‘Sister Queenie.’ She garnered the support of local doctors in the town of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to donate medication which she dispensed at the free medical community clinic she steadfastly ran, for many years, on Sunday mornings, to serve those who were unable to access medical treatment. Her home was a haven to the ill, depressed, and ailing hearts. Her sense of humour and maternal warmth drew many to her. Her lifetime commitment to healing and supporting the physical and mental health of her patients resonates today with the selfless and potentially dangerous work of health care professionals during this global pandemic we currently face. Added to Queenie Naidoo’s inspirational credit is her creative talent in having produced a theatrical performance, God the Last Refuge, staged at the King Street Theatre in Newtown, Sydney, in 2014. Queenie has inspired me from the cradle as my loving, caring, mother and continues to do so to this day.

We never stop learning and growing with each passing day, hence inspirational individuals are the heartbeat of the societies we inhabit.

I have handpicked three inspirational women, there are many more who inspire us every day. Please share the inspirational women in your world in the comment box below.

Today we travel across the Indian Ocean to meet Magie Faure-Vidot. Magie is a French-language poet from beautiful Seychelles. She has published work in English and Seychelles Creole. She is the Chief Editor/Director of the Publication SIPAY and is an inspirational supporter of rising poets and writers. She is tireless in her dedication to upholding international close connections between writers of all genres and forms.

Recently she has travelled to India for the World Thinkers’ and Writer’s Peace Meet attending two international events in December 2019 in Vijayawada and Kolkata.

Meet the Poet

Magie Faure-Vidot was born in Victoria. She is a member of the Institut Académique de Paris and the Académie Internationale de Lutèce. She has won numerous prizes over the course of her career, including the Coupe de la Ville de Paris, a Lyre d’honneur, and six silver and numerous bronze medals in various international literary competitions, and she has represented her home country at many international poetry festivals and other initiatives. Her work has been discussed in critical studies of Seychellois literature. She has also achieved some fame as an oral performer.

After living for some time in Lebanon, England, Italy, and France, Faure-Vidot returned to Seychelles. There she co-founded and continues to codirect, both the online literary review Vents Alizés and the online publishing house Edisyon Losean Endyen, both of which she runs in conjunction with Hungarian poet Károly Sándor Pallai. Her work is regularly published in Seychelles Nation and The People, and she is the Chief Editor/Director of SIPAY, the only Seychellois international literary magazine. Her poems were published in the international poetry anthology Amaravati Poetic Prism in India. In 2017, she received the prestigious Seychelles Arts Award in literature for her outstanding literary work and achievements. She writes for Spirit of Nature where she features amongst the 60 poets published in 2019.Opa Anthology of Poetry.

She is a member of the World Nations Writers Union Kazakhstan. She is the Regional Director – East Africa and Central Asia and on the Administration Council of MS.

Additional information on Magie Faure-Vidot is available on Wikipedia.

Getting to know Magie

When did your love for poetry begin?

The love for literature began when I was a kid. My parents worked on a vast agricultural property and had many animals. I loved them so much that I used to tell them small stories. We lived close to the beach and I had my private beach where I used to enjoy the sea, the birds, coconut trees, swimming with small fish, and playing with crabs. Being a loner, I had to keep myself busy. The sea carried me to faraway imaginary places. And I would always be asking my parents to buy me pencils and exercise-books.

What do you enjoy the most about living in Seychelles?

The island life, friendliness of the inhabitants, no snow but the sand.

The View From Magie Faure-Vidot’s Home in the Beautiful Island of Seychelles ~ A Creative Haven

Tell us about the International Literary Journal, SIPAY. When did it begin? What is its aim?

SIPAY saw birth in 2008 but registered in June 2009. At first, the aim was to promote the French language at 60% and 40% shared between our two other national languages, English and Creole. But now it has taken another turn. It is affiliated to Motivational Strips, and Spanish has been added to the three languages. SIPAY is now an International Literary Magazine and opportunities are given to various writers all over the globe. SIPAY is a non-political, non-religious magazine. SIPAY is distributed to the Ministry of Education for all the schools, Ministry of Culture, Creole Institute, the National Library, the National Journal (NISA), and some private individuals. One copy is posted to all contributors at no charge. SIPAY is a non-profit making publication. Money generated from the sale is reinvested in the next edition.

Describe your typical writing day.

I write when the urge tickles me. First, however, I take care of my home, family and animals – three dogs, and I feed some fifty birds every day. I then take to writing, attending to posts in MS, Lasosyasyon Lar san Frontyer, Congo Ecrit etc.

What are your future goals for literature both within Seychelles and internationally?

I’m planning my 7th book, assisting the Lasosyasyon Lar San Frontyer as a Chief Consultant and Congo Ecrit. I attended two international events in December 2019 in Vijayawada and Kolkata.

***

I extend my gratitude to Magie Faure-Vidot for sharing her illustrious writing journey. You can connect with Magie Faure-Vidot for more information on her recent literary travels and works:

Website

Facebook

Please leave your thoughts in the box below: