I am a born story teller...Thank you Mr Richard H Nosworthy and WGSA

I am a born South African story teller. Even if I am not paid or work in a commercial set up, I will tell stories not even aware that what comes out of my mouth is attention grabbing to slow the production of any group work. Whether people believe the stories I tell to be true or not. I have really outgrown that stage of trying hard to convince them. But I do still trying hard almost everyday to hone my skill. But from when I was young, story telling has been around me and has been the only or major way to get my attention or teach me something. Whether these came in a form of a family evening gathering under tree and fire wood down in Engxongweni in Port St John's Ceskei in the early 80s. Or watching and imititating the Chinese movies starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and other 90s Chinese movie with the line "You killed my mother and father, now I've come to kill you" at the Port Elizabeth township bioscope. Or better yet, spending my evening at my aunt's house in 3rd Avenue Alexandra Township watching and learning all kinds of story telling platforms from action movies, drama, comedy, soapies, romantic to reading different genre of books and ended up being a collector of amongst other favourite authors then, Sydney Sheldon an American screenwriter. Inspired by him, especially his novel Rage of Angels- a novel released in the 80s about a female lawyer who beds both powerful politicians and dangerous gangsters- I wanted to study law as it is said story tellers are best lawyers in the world...LOL!*Winks*. But anyway, driven by my passion to try other platforms of story telling that would open doors for me for screenwriting or writing. I saw myself in Mafatsane Hall, Evaton,South Africa. Attending a Scriptwriters workshop hosted by Writers Guild South Africa( WGSA) with the late Mr Richard H Nosworthy the main tutor. The week long free event was organised to benefit writers from the previously disadvantaged community. That is creative writers in South African who cannot either afford training or access to information about the industry due to their financial background. The guilt also protect the writers rights as many of them in South Africa are freelancers and do not get royalties on work repeated on other platforms of media in the African continent. The guilt was established in 2009 and aims to train more local writers in their South African vernacular language and also helps with their business education planning. They work with International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) and American Guilt and had been instrumental in getting writers included in the South African Film and Television Awards. Mr Nosworthy was a very paient man as he encourages most of us to believe in ourselves. Knowing that I was a writer for print, he wanted me to know that the very same words written must know be acted out on stage, tv, through music, film or animitation. "The must be a reason why you telling the story," his words as I battled to polished my short film, Holly Gangsters. The film was a test of our knowldge gained from the workshop and if selected stood a chance to be entered in the Muse awards with the overall winner announced at the SAFTAs of that year, 2019. Anyway,I think due to Covid19 WGSA is still to issue me with the certificate and results of the film. Being a passionate writers of what is now going on in South African churches. Especially after my mother's death. The film, Holly Gangsters focused on a family of a woman seeking justice after a man of "God" and congregants conned community members and preyed on those desperate for long term illness healing. Based on my experience and a series of articles that I have written while with main stream media. Mr Nosworthy helped bring the emotions of trust and disgust as I reveal how the grieving family is expected to pay transportation and accommodation for one of their leaders to conduct the service. The family was also not getting anything from the R10 000 funeral burial plan taken by the deceased in the church. Even though, she had constantly paid monthly fees for years. Close members of the family revealed how in the last days the church discouraged her from taking her medication and instead should rely on the water and salt the church was offering for healing.