Lady Grey Arts Academy’s very own essay queen. The year 2022 marks a century since the death of Reverend John Knox Bokwe and in order to commemorate his life, the students of the Eastern Cape were challenged to an essay competition hosted by the Department of Sport and Arts and Culture. These essays, titled “The Power of Museums: commemorating our legends with particular reference to John Knox Bokwe”, required multiple hours of research and in addition, finding out more about their heritage and culture.

The first round of the competition was at district level. The top three students then move into the next round, at provincial level, to compete for an opportunity to visit Robben Island for a Spring School meant for the SADAC Region learners. Katleho Letseka, a grade 11 student, entered the competition with an exceptional essay. On Thursday, 19 May, Katleho and her English teacher, miss Michanda Rheeder, travelled to Barkly East for the prize giving. It was a day filled with entertainment, exhibitions by the National Museum of Bloemfontein, a quilt exhibition of Nelson Mandela and a visit to the Barkly East Museum where they learned a lot about the history of the national symbols, rock art and the local cultures. Out of the multiple entries in the Joe Gqabi district, Katleho received 5^th place and the Lady Grey Arts Academy is extremely proud of her. We are excited for the literary masterpieces that she will deliver in the future.