A little boy trapped in an Amalinda RDP house in lockdown watched his granny die from Covid-19 and his stressed dad have a heart attack.
It is unusual to be only seven and feel moved to start writing down the experiences, feelings and the trauma, but he did, and it turned out to be a memoir about how God and family prayers saw them through.
Nana Kofi Mantyi, started writing in 2022 when he was seven and this year, at the age of 10, the book, My Family in the Hands of God: A Covid-19 Story, is being published.
We spoke to Nana this week and discovered that he is from a family of writers.
The family described the book as story of faith, courage and family strength.
Nana Kofi is a grade 4 pupil at Nompumelelo Primary.
Go! interviewed his grade 3 teacher, Rebecca Mashura, who said the boy was a worthy role model.
She said: “Nana Kofi’s courage to share his story encourages other children to believe in their own abilities. “His voice adds an important chapter to our collective healing from the pandemic. It’s vital we listen to our children’s stories; they are tomorrow’s leaders.”
Speaking in a quiet, considered voice, Nana said: “I wanted to tell people how God kept us safe even when things were really scary.
“No matter how hard things get, don’t lose hope.
“God is everywhere, and he always listens.
“When Covid-19 hit, my makhulu (grandmother) caught the virus and died. Then father had a heart attack. It was frightening. We didn’t know what would happen.
“But I learned that with faith, you can face anything.”
“I remember feeling very scared when my father was sick, but I also saw how God’s protection was with us.
“Writing about that helped me understand and feel less afraid,” Mantyi said.
His book dives deep into the emotional crisis his family endured, the fear, the loss, the mourning — and the strength they found through prayer and each other.
“I hope my book shows people that they’re never alone, even during hard times,” Nana Kofi said.
“God is always watching over us, and he gives us strength when we need it most.” His gentle faith shines through every page, offering reassurance to readers young and old.
The young author’s determination to tell his family’s story was inspired by his close-knit family.
His sister, Nana Adwoa Baah Mantyi, also published her first book at the age of 10 in 2020, titled: It Is Black on the Form?, while their father, Dr Solomon Baah Onwona, is an author and scholar.
Nana Kofi said: “Seeing my sister and father write made me believe I could do it too.
“I wanted my story to help people who feel scared or lonely during tough times.”
Writing the book was hard for the child. “Sometimes, I struggled with spelling the big words I wanted to use. But I kept practising because I knew my story was important. I wanted to use words that could help others understand how much God’s love helped my family.”
Over the course of 2022, Nana Kofi patiently started working through his issues, shaping his thoughts into words filled with emotion and meaning.
His mother, Zikhona Mantyi, recalls the moment she realised how serious her son was about writing. “At first, I thought he was just playing with scrap paper. But when I gathered all the pages, I was amazed by the beauty and honesty of his words. Writing became his way to calm his fears and keep our family’s faith alive during those difficult days.
The book is being launched on Saturday October 4, at New Eden (the old Grens Primary School buildings) in town from 9am to 4pm.
It is being published by Modupe Paul of Paul’s Literary Publications and will sell for R100.
A local bookshop, to be announced at the launch, will carry the title.
