For the young, socialist-inclined Monageng Mogalakwe, the opportunity to attend the 1978 World Festival of Youth and Students in a socialist paradise led by the iconic Fidel Castro was a thrill beyond measure. In that era, travelling by plane itself was a treat as rare as getting a month’s uninterrupted power supply in 2023. In Havana, Cuba, Mogalakwe would be one of the 18 500 young people from 145 countries and would march three kilometres through the main avenues of the capital towards the Latin American Stadium where the opening ceremony was to be held.
Sadly though, he never travelled to Cuba and the only march associated with the Festival was one through Gaborone streets that had been organised by the Botswana National Front.
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