The Story behind…

Before print, before journalism, a young inquisitive girl once had a dream, a dream to roam around the world with her journal and a camera, to witness its beauty, and reflect it to itself. A geologist, a climatologist and so that one day in future, she would look back and say “I was there.”

At the age of thirteen, her mother took her to a national Xhosa radio station (Mhlobo wenene) once situated in Umtata, and supposedly as part of the family vocation; you know those once-in-a-while or “Christmas” vacation trips black parents do, yep, something of that nature. Inspired by the voice of Asanda Magaqa, a national Vodacom award winning journalist, the dream was disturbed. She became obsessed with broadcast journalism. Why not? With her strange curiosity, it fitted her just fine. She thought. And so the dream of being a researcher, a script writer (and later on an editor of TV or radio news scripts) began.

She held on to that dream, and yet still cosseting her passion for literature, flooding her mother’s cabinet(s) with thousand novels, something that constantly got her into trouble because a space for “significant” adornments (as her mom would say) was needed, but her books stood in the way, prohibiting the likes and interests of other members in the family.

Such selfishness, but she really couldn’t bear the thought of having them put away, not thrown, but simple put off “sight”, away from people to see the beauty of how they’d line up, so beautiful and inspiring. Yes she bragged about them. But then she had to obey the house rules (with “those” words coming out of a Xhosa mother in a burst of passion, a “yes mama” was inevitable), hence she’d lose at times. And no don’t get me wrong, she had nothing against her daughter’s obsession with books (and granted the fact that she inherited that from her), she loved it, but a space for her "guests' plates" was required. You know the kind right? The ones that only see daylight when there are guests over!

But still, despite her mother’s Tarzan ways, she kept on surrounding herself with libraries full-time, something that brought spark into her life. She was like a child in a candy shop.

At the age of seventeen after her matric, she got accepted at the Nelson Mandela University (not an institution she had in mind, and let alone, a journalism one (nope), but at least), and so you can imagine the eerr well “excitement”…? Anyways, keen and inquisitive as always, she held on to that dream until this other day, after receiving her excellent second year results she was required to choose between print and broadcast. She had always known about this, that one day, in her third year, she’d have to choose, but given the fact that she’d always been certain about broadcast, she saw no reason to contemplate.

But something changed that day, something she never anticipated, but was always there. A passion for writing, something she’d discovered while doing her second year, but never bothered to pay attention to. And now confusion consumed her. She contemplated the thought, asking family and friends, but a “choose what makes you happy” line was all she could get.

She went further and asked her role model, someone who inspired her, and a definite reason why she chose journalism; Asanda, telling her about everything and nothing, the personal blog, and face book notes she has, and finally a good response was received. “I can tell you straight away that print is the better of the two, especially since you want to write. People who are writers in broadcast don’t experience the same growth as those in print.” And so the print journey commenced, shattering everything that was once there: broadcast, and to her surprise, that never bothered her.

And now she dreams of being a successful writer, writing hard news stories (something she really has a passion for). Be an editor of BBC news or somewhere in the states, but she would really love to go to UK, her dream wonderland. But then, she can’t just pack up and leave, leaving her country starved, and deprived of watchdogs, even if she becomes successful, she will not. Change begins at home. She well knows that.

She wants to own her own publication company. And it doesn’t end there. Apart from working with hard news stories, she still dreams of writing a book, and not to brag, but a good writer is what she is. When it comes to putting her anger, sadness and anxiety, including life in general on paper and pen, a good outlet for her, she does exceptionally well.

I know I possess a talent, and I am willing to go wherever it leads me. I have a hungry brain, always keen to learn new things. A vending machine is what I’m not. I surround myself with diverse people, just to learn new things. I have become ambitious, not that I have never been, but it has become intact, and improved. I seek to learn, and I yearn to change the world with my writing (and a contrary to the popular stereotype that only groupies choose journalism. I didn’t gravitate towards my career choice to be low, as I find such people so low and not a 0°C is a contest.

As the saying goes, “Fish have to swim. Birds have to fly. And journalists have to go.” where people are suffering, I must be present, and reflect humanity to its action. Half a bag or less of peanuts is what I live to earn, and I’m not necessarily bothered, and I guess that’s how ridiculously intoxicated I am by my career. I want to witness the history and say “I was there.”