Future Voices : Lerato

Six [almost seven] weeks in. It's been a process adjusting and living here, but overall a great experience. I've come to realize that the biggest problem in this country is education [or lack thereof]. There are many contributing factors, apartheid and a teenage democracy in the height of its puberty years; just to name a few. If there's one thing that I will forever look to from this experience it is this: I can look anywhere [just about] and find thousands [millions really] of things that make me throw my hands in the air and for lack of a better term that embodies this feeling, say "F*** it. I'm going home. This place is nuts." OR....

I can search for the glimmers of hope here and the amazing triumphs there and think to myself, "This is why God put me here". So I choose the latter.

Enter Lerato.


I had the opportunity to talk with Lerato over the weekend in Soweto.

Question: "Pleased to meet you. Tell me a bit about yourself"

Answer: "My name is Lerato. I am seventeen years done. I live here Soweto."

Q: "So you are receiving a bursary [scholarship] from Soweto Vineyard, why is that?"

A: " They tell me I am a good student. I study well, I work hard. I help here in the church."

Q: " Are you excited about that? "

A: " What's excited? "

Q: " (Gestures) Umm, joyful or happy? "

A: " Oh yes! It is great opportunity to go to
university. I feel I will accomplish a lot. "

Q: " There are a lot of other students here in Soweto, who work hard but seem to end up on the streets. What makes you different? "

A: " Yes many. You look here at the church, more children, less adults. Who looks after them properly? I am blessed to have adults care about me.

Q: " What does care about you mean? "

A: " People like Mpho and my mother encourage me. They tell I can do good things when I work hard. My teachers never tell me this. It makes me look forward. "

Q: " Is it hard to look forward? "

A: " Yes. Here it is hard to succeed. Many others do not want to see you better than them. I am lucky with Mpho and my mother, they comfort me."

Q: " That's nice to hear. What do you want to study?"

A: " Travel, Tourism. The FIFA Soccer Cup will be here 2010. I can learn a lot! "

Q: " Sure sure! That's great, why Travel and Tourism? "

A: " I would like to travel (laughs). I want to see new places, I want to learn new things. "

Q: " Yes, travel is nice. What do you hope for in the future? "

A: " I'd like to have my own office. That is my dream. I'd like to bring people to Soweto, show them all of the cultures here. So many people are afraid to come here, the student uprisings in the 70s. I want to show them my Soweto. Maybe people like you can help. "

Q: " That's great, Soweto really is a nice place. I hope this story will help in some way. What do you think will produce change here in South Africa? "

A: " I am not a political leader. I don't know. "

Q: " You don't have to hold office to make change. Here is Soweto is was just students. "

A: " I see that. If I must answer, I only know what I experience. People like Mpho and David who say I can do things, they make me feel like I can change my life and be better person. "

Q: " Would you say that it takes a person to invest in you? "

A: " I guess. Well yes, if they didn't tell me I could do good things, I don't know what to do after secondary."

Q: " That's inspiring to hear. I have no more questions, do you have any or anything you'd like to say? "

A: " Where are you from? "

Q: " America, California. Do you know?"

A: " Yes! Do you know movie stars?"

Q: " (Laughing) No sadly, I don't."

-Jerome Love