Turning on the light of others

 

Ever attended an event that speaks beyond its intentions.

I have.

Late last year (2014) I took out Lewa, my niece, for poetry night which was part of Gaborone International Music and Culture week organised by Leap Frog. Lewa and I share a common love for words. When I am with her, I see the fire for words in her soul. This inspires me to write much harder so that I make indelible marks for younger folks like her, marks that can be visible even in the years to come.

We both sat in awe, absorbing every single word of the well articulated poetry from young Batswana from all walks of life, some of them in their teens. In gatherings like these, I get overwhelmed by the incredibly strong potential Batswana possess. The world might not know it yet, but Batswana have a bright and promising future. What stood out for me that night though, was the performance by Mafitlhakgosi traditional dance group from the township; Old Naledi.

 

Courtesy of Tebogo Motswetla (www.mabijo.com)
Courtesy of Tebogo Motswetla (www.mabijo.com)

 

Mafitlhakgosi performance was an absolute delight to witness. They sang and danced with intricate feet movement and vibrancy of veterans, it was hard to imagine that some of them were as young as 10 years. Every drumbeat was a reflection of the pure bliss in their eyes. They carried so much joy and passion in every move; the authentic joy that said this was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to take for granted, the passion that said “our time is now”.  This moment meant something to them, probably much more than for all the other performers of the night.

While this served as a platform to show case local talent, the poetry night served a much bigger purpose of turning on the lights of kids from less fortunate walks of life. These kids were given an opportunity to shine and a chance to blossom.

What if we created sunrise moment for others and turn their lights on?

We create sunrise moments for others when we allow them to shine.

How do we do this?

We do this when we make others recognise that they are special individuals, fearfully and wonderfully made.

We do this when we recognise people for who they are, not for where they come from.

We do this when we forgo the things we are entitled to, for the sake of others.

We do this when we begin to appreciate that our opportunities are not ours alone but they can be shared with others. This simply means using our God given opportunities to contribute to the greater good, Leap Frog afforded others an opportunity to have a part in what was Leap Frog’s own moment of glory and own night.

When any of these is done for us, we can’t help but shine in our element. Our souls dance to the drumbeat of positivity. We are liberated to become who we were meant to be. We experience an unforgettable feeling which I believe we should thrive to give to others.

I say you and I should thrive to turn somebody’s light on and watch what difference it will make to dreams that have been pushed aside and hope that has been lost. Interestingly when we allow others to shine we increase the intensity of our own light. Have an awesome day and go turn someone’s light on. Go make someone’ soul dance to the drumbeat of your magical acts.

“If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.”

~ Arabian Proverb

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