WHERE I grew up, poverty was often equated with failure or chances that you will not be able to succeed in life. Similarly, here in South Africa, being white is associated with being the less preferred candidate for the job or tender irrespective of your capabilities.
So, in our villages it didn’t matter how much effort you put in, if your family had nothing, people assumed you’d amount to nothing. In my community, and even my own family, no one ever said, “You are going to make it.” Instead, I was constantly reminded, directly or indirectly, that I was a failure.
But I challenged that verdict. I told my family they were wrong, that their diagnosis of my future was misguided.
The childhood friends (Kgadi and Lucas) I surrounded myself…
