I was driving to Mmadinare recently, luckily in a car with a radio, and all of the private radio stations were off the air.

AVID READER: Tebogo Sebego

I like GabzFM in the morning as I’m an oldie and a fan of the oldies music they play, but GabzFM was not on offer so I switched on RB2. The DJ for the late morning show is a young woman by the name of Gaone.

Gaone apparently has a part of her show where she asks famous people what book inspired them the most. I was so happy to hear she does this on her show since books don’t get anywhere near the coverage they deserve in my opinion.

Her guest that day was lawyer and new BFA head, Tebogo Sebego. I expected to hear he liked  a religious book or some motivational book like Rich Dad, Poor Dad which though a book, and as I said I’m always happy for books to get their air time, I can’t help but be slightly disappointed. I always wish when these famous people are asked about books they would mention a novel instead of a religious book or a motivational book. Fiction is so wonderful, a window to  myriad of worlds and different ways of thinking and seeing things, how can it not be inspirational?

So finally the interview started. What I thought was great was there was a lengthy discussion about why Rre Sebego thinks reading is important. (Yay! Yay! Yay!)  As a lawyer, of course, he must read a lot but also in his new position as BFA president he must read to keep on top of new strategies for football and its administration. But I was most impressed when he chose the book that inspired him-he chose The Firm by John Grisham, a work of fiction! I was dancing in my car seat.

I’ve read a lot of John Grisham’s books but I’d never read The Firm until quite recently. We have a book club here in Mahalapye and this was my book I chose a few months ago. It’s about a young lawyer who helps a poor family who is being swindled by an insurance company. The company’s business plan is to sell policies to poor people and then deny all claims saying that the policy doesn’t cover it. Since most poor people have no access to expensive lawyers, the insurance company was making a killing. This young lawyer decides to help the family who are denied money to pay for treatment for their son who has cancer. It’s a good book, as all John Grisham books are, but I love that it inspired a lawyer like Rre Sebego. See how fantastic fiction is? It opens up the world for you in a way that nonfiction just can’t quite do.

Rre Sebego grew up in Old Naledi and Gaone asked him if he might consider writing a book one day himself. Sadly, I didn’t hear his answer because my wonky radio always loses reception at that flyover before Serule, but I hope his answer was yes. Imagine what an inspiration a book about his life would be to other young kids growing up in places like Old Naledi.

And I really want to give kudos where kudos are due- Gaone of RB2 gets five stars in my book. How fantastic for a young woman on national radio to use part of her morning radio show to promote reading and books! Wish many more could follow her wonderful example.

And in Other News…
A little bird told me that our globe-trotting poet TJ Dema, who just returned from her whirlwind tour of the UK, will be jetting off to the United States to attend The International Writing Programme at the University of Iowa from late August until mid-November. The programme brings established writers and poets from around the world together. Time is given for them to work on their writing as well as to become acquainted with the US and the university life there. TJ was funded through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. It’s not only 800 metre runners who are doing this country proud, folks!

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