Youth Searching For A Role Model

De: Doreen C. Mampani

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Youth Searching For A Role Model is collection of my poems about the youth. The challenges they meet, the youth without role models. When I grew up what I observed was that in the African culture if a mother was widowed or a single parent, her brother or her uncle would be a father figure for the children. In Venda we had elderly men who would rebuke children who bunked school. There words would be "you are running away from school you will suffer when you grow up. If you can't read and write you struggle in life". Then the old man would ask "what is your name my grand-child? Who is your mother and where is she? Where do you stay?" Those old men would turn from their path and take the child to his/her parents and voice their concerns about the child who is not going to school. Bearing in mind that parents had to pay school fees, buy text and note books, and uniform for their kids during that Bantu education era. It was hard but most parents and their relatives helped one another to educate children. Even if it meant just up to Std 5 now Grade 7. It is sad that nowadays some young people refuse to be corrected. One of their response is "you are not my mother, you can't tell me anything. Mind your own business!" In townships schools are nearby, but sadly there are young people who will not attend school. Some of the young people walk only five minutes to school but choose not to go to school. One Colored girl, 16 years of age said "I'm too young to focus on education. I want to be a doctor one day". She dropped out of school and found herself a "Blesser". A married, business man of 42 years of age. She wanted money to buy expensive gadgets, fashion clothing and shoes and to give to friends. I met some Pedi youth and advised them to learn. Their response was "it is like we are cursed. We are lazy, we just want to party and have fun. When it is time to study we feel tired. It must be witchcraft!". Well we cannot blame laziness on witchcraft. Some young people want easy life, to be given what they want. I met a Pedi young man who said "Mama L'amour, we young people enjoy fun, fun, fun and more fun. If there is a street party we even steal our mother's groceries money to go and buy alcohol and meat to be part of the gig. We forget about tomorrow but think only of the now. To party all night". We find young men and old men in tarverns and shabeens drinking alcohol and sharing. They elderly men sometimes buy alcohol for the young who don't have money. These men are not role models in our families and communities. We find women, mothers in taverns and shabeens and night clubs drinking and getting drunk. Some get raped by various men and don't even know what happened the next day. This brings shame to the children of such women. I grew up in a family where people drank alcohol and misbehaved. I found a role model in my Sunday School teacher and some of my school teachers. God always provided. There are young people who advise each other in the right direction of discipline and getting educated. There are men and women who are role models to the young but we need more. Men and women who share their valuable experiences and knowledge with young people for free. The best place to look for role models is still the Bible, men like Daniel, Shadrack, Meschack, Abednego, King David, Jeremiah and Timothy just to mention a few. These were men God used mightily.