Keto Segwai
14 November 2008
Not many Batswana are aware that Justice Unity Dow is a prolific writer, who at some point published three novels in a space of four years and got external rave reviews.
Time of the Writer literary publication noted that: "her writings which strongly express women's struggles for equality and justice in Botswana are based on her own immediate experiences of working in these areas".
Her first novel, Far and Beyond, which focuses on gender, AIDS/HIV and violence against women, was published in 2001. The Screaming of the Innocent, which addresses issues of child protection, justice and power came out in 2002. Juggling Truths, a novel that looks at issues of cultural identity was published in 2003.
In 2006, she published yet another novel, The Heavens May Fall which focus on women and child abuse. Spinifex Press published the first three books while Double Storey published The Heavens.
One may be tempted to think that being a judge leaves little time for anything else. But Dow holds a different view. "Being a judge is such an isolated profession. There are just too many places you cannot go to. It is a pre-planned and regulated vocation. I have my diary, for instance, planned to March 2008. Everything is nicely packaged and organised. So there is a lot of silence in your time. I have time to plan and my kids are grown up. I now don't need to help them with their homework anymore," she said.
Did she write merely to kill time? "I actually enjoy writing. It is a form of personal retreat into my own thoughts. I enjoy it and I am a good observer of human interaction, whether in weddings or funerals. Then I collate these experiences into a story form. Writing for me is also therapy," she added.
Dow's next novel is scheduled for publication in May 2009. She said its working title is Saturday is for Funerals. She stateS that since the introduction of ARVs, the frequency of HIV/AIDS-related funerals appears to have subsided.
She has written an inspiration book, Judging Unity now used as a set-book for primary schools. She co-wrote a textbook with her daughter entitled Business and Commercial Law for ACCA.
Perhaps with her impending resignation from the bench next March, Dow will be free to promote her novels. Last year, She told South African-based writer, Fred De Vries: "I always walk the media tightrope between protecting my job as a judge and promoting my work as a writer".
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