Gaele Mogwe

Who is Gaele Mogwe?

Gaele Sobott is an Australian author of short stories, non-fiction and children's books.

Gaele was born in Yallourn, Victoria and lived in Botswana as a citizen for a large part of her life. She taught in the English Department at the University of Botswana. She also lived in France, and England where she completed a Ph.D. on South African women writers. She now lives in Sydney, Australia.

Colour Me Blue is a haunting collection of stories, published by Heinemann African Writers Series. It blends fantasy and reality, melding African history and tradition with the grittiness of everyday life. The stories capture the casual or determined oppression of men and women, the tenderness of human affection and the powerful rhythm of African myth. The politics of personal relationships are explored against a background of social injustice and material hardship. Gaele’s writing is characterised by a 'mixture of traditional story telling and modern day-to-day struggles’.

Her children's fiction includes: The Magic Pool - some children decide to go and find out if stories about the python at the waterhole are true, Tickles about Moabi and Sonti who are helping on a game reserve when an orphaned baby elephant is brought in by the rangers, Weird Wambo lives alone in a baobab tree and children of the village laugh at her until one day they need her help, and Thara Meets the Cassipoohka Man which addresses global warming and received the Zimbabwe Award for Children's Literature.