The pen is mightier than the sword, philosophers have said, and that is why Thato Gwaloba, a lad from Nlapkhwani Village in the North East chose to scribble his experiences in ink to warn aspiring drug addicts not to follow in his path.
Gwaloba, who is currently writing a book, opened up to the Sunday Standard about his dark past in the world of drugs.
He said that after what he experienced as a servant to drugs, he felt a burning desire to write a book and leave and give a word of advice to the rest of the world, particularly the youth, to focus, dream, understand themselves and not to lose focus but hold on to their better dreams.
He said the book’s working title is “Forgotten”.
“My life was embroiled in drug addiction and alcohol, therefore, through the book I am writing, I need to share my past ordeal with the world. I called it Forgotten because most of us today have forgotten who we are and where we are heading,” he said.
Gwaloba, a confident man in his late 20s, revealed that although he grew up in a single parent family, he was raised comfortably and well disciplined until he was exposed to peer pressure from friends and found himself drowned in the sorrows of drug and alcohol abuse. He explained that it all began with the friends during his tenure at the Senior Secondary school when they used to dodge classes and smoke marijuana and drink alcohol as they deemed it as fashionable.
“Although I managed to pass my Cambridge in Maconnell, my performance was way below my potential because I was very intelligent,” he said as he gnashed his teeth regretfully.
However, he revealed that he was admitted to study at the Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA) where his condition worsened as he started to abuse stronger drugs and sold some of the drugs to different individuals in Gaborone. Before he could finish his Degree in Soil and Water Conservation, his life was already in shambles.
He failed his studies.
“This was the demise of my world because after my mother and friends talked to me, I saw the light, regained focus and decided to change my life for the better,” he said.
Gwaloba, who has since changed his habits and is now living a drug and alcohol free life, said that even before he was roped into drugs and alcohol, writing has always been buried in the core of his heart as his passion. He added that her mother, a teacher by profession, has always inspired him to write because she is an English teacher who is also good in writing.
He stated that the name of the book, Forgotten, emphasizes much on the Africans in general, more especially the youth who lose their identity when they move to towns, absorb foreign cultures and abandon their values, customs and end up in bad habits such as drug abuse.
Gwaloba says that although he still has a financial challenge in raising money to help him publish his work, he will work tirelessly to make sure that he publishes his work.
“I want to thank my mother who has since given me support during the years of drug addiction and has always given me support to rise and escape the bad habits to become a responsible, better man,” he said.
Gwaloba said that he plans to go back to school and finish his studies and his mother has pledged her support.
