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by SEANOKENG J PHUTHEGO (Botswana)

Making a local connection Botswana

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“Thank you mama” A different day, same routines, same people, nothing was different except for time, which also to some extent will be the same after twenty-four hours. Even the taste of this fofo was the same and starting to bore her now. It was more like a ritual to her now, every Thursdays she comes to this local spot which was at the other end of the village just for this pure decadence fofo, but it was not like they were her favorite. Just that she loved how the lady made them, there was something hypnotic about them, magic; she just couldn't pinpoint the magic ingredient. This fofo was different, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, and the taste was amazing, out of this world, they had a spark of vanilla essence, but she knew it was impossible because mama only used indigenous ingredients. Their effect was starting to show, starting from her fully curved hips; even her lower belly was showing that soft swell which lightly protruded through her body-hugging dresses she got from her aunt. She was content with her weight gain, she was not complaining, maybe it’s because she was gaining weight in the right places. Other days were sad and depressing to her, except for Thursdays, they were supposed to be her lockdown days, LOCKDOWN!!! It’s a term she adopted from her varsity days, where she would just stop doing everything and focused on herself, explore all the city spots and go shopping, go to a beauty salon and do her nails. But these, the current lockdowns were different, they were all about fofo, she still worried about everything. It’s from that moment, that she realised that she never took a break, had a lockdown ever since her last undergrad exam. She walked aimlessly, not instantly, after a few moments, one could argue that it wasn't aimless, the walk! The main thought, I'm going to explore today, work could do without me today, so she did. A sweet yet horsy melody was all over the atmosphere, the first thing that grabbed the attention from her thoughts, upon looking up she saw the most precious bird the colour of a rainbow, she would later name it Molaya. This was amazing, the aroma, she had never been a fan of coffee, but this was different, this coffee, extracted from the barks of an indigenous tree, Motlopi, brewed with traditional methods. Everything was different, the café was located in the bush, just a five minutes’ walk from the main road, she has never seen anything like this, it was beautiful, the décor, one could think it was minimal, but when you paid attention to details, you would see the precision, the amount of work in the artefacts, it was overwhelming. It was that day, she walked home, she passed by the bus rank and that is when roaring bass of men's voices took her off. She followed the melody which led her to a compound hidden behind the bus rank, welcomed by glorious faces and vibrant personalities, she sat down and witnessed this beauty. Her entire life she knew happiness, experienced it, saw it, but this, was something else, it was heaven. It was one of the dancers who took her out of her thoughts as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor where she moved with rhythm, without being choreographed she caught up with the rest of the crew as she swung her hips effortlessly and was in sync. She was in heaven. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever she thought she could be a dancer, she was home, lying on her bed, thinking about what she experienced today, she went to heaven. “You had to experience your local first before you could explore the world, it’s your destiny, just like your name, Pono” “Thank you mama”