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Fokus Op: Moekie Mouton - ''Lees is vir my 'n noodsaaklikheid.''

Maria Elizabeth Mouton, alombekend as ''Moekie'', is 'n boorling van Rehoboth in sentraal Namibië, en het 'n groot liefde vir lees, en later ook skryf, vanaf kindsbeen. Sy het reeds op laerskool daarna gehunker om 'n Afrikaanse skryfster te word veral nadat sy op 'n dag daarvan te hore gekom het dat haar opstelle vir ouer kinders in ander klasse voorgelees word. 'n Handjievol jare later, toe 'n tiener, het sy liewer verkies om tuis te bly en 'n boek te lees as om met vriende uit te gaan. 
Mettertyd het Moekie voor die kansel gestaan en ook moeder geword. Vir jare daarna het sy administratiewe poste by verskeie maatskappye beklee in Windhoek en ongeveer dertien (13) jaar gelede ingeskryf om Pastorale Studies te studeer by Bybelskool. Sy gradueer sewe (7) jaar later as 'n gekwalifiseerde pastoor, en bedien daarna met haar man die Woord tot en met hul aftrede en verhuising na Swakopmund.  

As 'n lewenslange leser van Afrikaanse boeke en werke, tel Moekie vir onder andere Irma Joubert, Annelie Botes en Helena Hugo as haar gunsteling skrywers, en 'n indrukwekkende lys Christelike-fiksie titels as haar gunsteling boeke. Sy erken ook ruiterlik dat sy haarself nie beskou as iemand wat genre-gebonde is nie omdat sy amper alles en enigiets lees. 

''Lees is vir my 'n noodsaaklikheid,'' merk sy op tydens ons gesprek. ''Dit is noodsaaklik vir goeie kommunikasie ook.''

Ná hul verhuis het na Swakopmund, en sy en haar man 'n bietjie vastrapplek in die woestyndorp gekry het, begin wrewel die begeerte om te skryf weer in haar agterkop. Toe sy kort daarna op Facebook sien Clarice Theys soek medeskrywers vir 'n projek, Basterpoeding vir die Siel, het sy besluit om deel te neem. Sy woon ook toe 'n slypskool by, aangebied deur Jannie Oosthuysen, en nie lank daarna word van haar kortverhale opgeneem in drie (3) bundels van Suid-Afrikaanse skrywersgroepe. In 2018, neem sy deel aan 'n skryfkompetisie en word as een van die wenners aangewys. 

Later, en in minder as twee (2) maande, toe skryfgriep haar heeltemaal oorval het, voltooi Moekie haar eerste kortverhaal bundel, Eggo's van die Hart. Van hierdie bundel sê sy self dat ''...dit fokus op die mens se sielsbehoeftes en soeke na sin in die lewe...''. Moekie benadruk ook dat hierdie bundel 'n natuurlike uitvloeiing is van 'n lewenslange persoonlike filosofie dat lees en skryf deel is van haar innerlike menswees. Sy is tans drukbesig met 'n skryfkursus en daar is beslis planne vir nog 'n boek in 2019. 

Haar gunsteling kos is 'n heerlike bord braaivleis, sy het altyd plaaslewe in die Kalahari geniet, is verslaaf aan lees, natuurlik, en geniet dit om langs die see te vertoef.

Eggo's van die Hart, 'n kortverhaalbundel uit die pen van Moekie Mouton is te koop by Book Buddy @ The Village, Liliencron Straat, Eros, Windhoek.      

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