Looking at him from a distance, you might have wrong impressions of the young man, but coming close and even striking a conversation with him, you will see that the man has a greater love for people. “A down to earth, humble and driven young man. Comfortable in his own skin with a wealth of knowledge and an amazing sense of personal direction” explains Judy Tsutsa of Ashoka Youth Venture.
Kitso Masi, a 24 year old young Motswana from the village of Ramotswa, a young man of high personal and professional integrity, a born visionary, goal getter and a change maker. Born of a South African father and a Motswana mother, he spent much of his childhood traveling back and forth between the two countries. Kitso is the coordinator of the South East District Youth Empowerment League (SEDYEL), a youth-led sports and community development program that was initiated as a result of the ongoing partnership between The City of Toronto (Canada) and South East District Council (Botswana). The busiest and productive person I have ever met, getting a time to meet with this young man is always a problem, if he is not out of the country, he is attending meetings, workshops and trainings and one wonders when the young man gets time to be alone, with his family. He is quick to point out “I can not afford to rest or be alone; I have places to, people to meet and things to do”. Indeed he has places to go.
This year, Kitso was selected to be Botswana’s first and only representative in the Imagine Afrika television series, the first authentic African reality show which sets up pan-African challenges for the continent’s young achievers and promotes the vision of an HIV-free generation. An initiative of the African Broadcast Media Partnership (ABMP), Imagine Afrika is a social adventure reality show that pits outstanding young African achievers against one another to come up with solutions to some of the continent’s most pressing problems. Chosen through a continent-wide call for nominations, the contestants represent the diversity of Africa with their exceptional personal achievements and talents.
As a young African, his work both in Southern and East Africa exposed him to a lot of challenges that young people face. He had the opportunity to work with young people from across the African Continent and even abroad through the Kicking AIDS Out Network (an international network of organizations working together using sports and physical activities to address issues of HIV and motivate behavior change among young people). It is through this network that in 2006 August at the XVI International AIDS Conference held in Toronto, Canada, he presented a paper on the power of sport in helping fight against HIV and help young people develop positive character traits.
In 2007 Nike with Ashoka (Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs) launched a global competition called “sport for a better world” seeking for innovatives around the world that uses sport to promote social change. His entry won the early entry price in that competition and he was later called to be the face of the competition and help mobilize change makers around the world. It is for that reason his name is embroided in his Nike dunk sneakers. Once again Nike and Change makers have engaged Masi to be an online commentator for their 2008 Game Changers competition which seeks to empower and change the face of sport for girls.
In 2004, Kitso was given the opportunity to work with young people in Botswana as a facilitator in the Project Phakama (An arts exchange programme involving arts practitioners and young people which aims to promote a spirit of exchange between artists, educators and young people from different cultural backgrounds. To empower participants to make new art through an exploration of expression and their identities; to harness the philosophy and methodology of participant-centered arts education to liberate creative potential in individuals and their communities. Initiated by London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) in partnership with Sibikwa Theatre, Johannesburg with partners in South Africa, Europe, India and Southern Africa development countries.)
During his work with young Africans, Kitso has identified lack of hope for the future among young people in Africa as one of the key drivers of HIV especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. He always relates this to his childhood and says “it reminds me of where I come from and that a lot of youth in my community live their lives through my experience. I was raised in a community where youth are always considered a nuisance and for sure that is what our communities build us to be as we believe and begin to act like it. I joined a local notorious gangster crew called “The Bad Boys” and did normal things kids did growing in the dusty streets of Ramotswa, sniffing glue, smoking dagga and staying as much as I could away from school. As our family ties also disintegrated, losing both my parents, I started to drift from my friends’ homes and sleeping on their couches. When I entered my Junior Secondary School, as the curtain was lifting on my adult life, my life took a different path, a path that over the years will certainly give me my life back. I was introduced to sports by my School Headmaster and ever since then I never looked back. I later on joined a local football team “Black Army FC” and was later made to lead the team as a captain and also to sit in the management of the team. Been given such responsibilities, I was able to develop leadership skills and this gave me courage that I did not realize I had inside me but again helped me to discover my hidden acting skills.”
Kitso is a young man of many talents…master of many mediums as he calls himself, together with friend’s co founded Mama Theatre Company, Botswana’s most acclaimed theatre group. He has performed in a lot of stage production like Serlan and Merriam, The Facilitator in a Rehearsal and Athol Fugard’s Nongogo. Kitso has played a massive role in the initiation and existence of Mama Theatre.
The young man is destined for greater things. But had he always thought so? He reveals “it had never crossed my mind that one day I will achieve this much, I was made to believe I am a nuisance and will always be one by a lot of my teachers…I used to believe them, but at the same time, I always knew I had just extra-ordinary talent and capabilities inside me, but I never imagined myself going this far”. Coming from Ramotswa, a village that was hit by youth gangsterism around 1996-2000, when he lost his parents he left school and got lost in a gang. His sister came to his rescue, he went back to school, and he is back on track. “It was all peer pressure and wanting to belong to a certain group, but also it guaranteed ones security as some boys would be afraid to touch you”. Asked about some of the things they used to do with the Bad boys, he squint and looks up “we did a lot of harm than good to people, sick things. But I don’t regret it at all, I have grown so much from that experience, and to me that’s the measure of a man, just how you turn negative experiences to yield positive results”.
Today Kitso is a changed man and lives his life positively and influencing his peers positively. A strong and a great role model, he is driven and determined. His favorite saying is “to whom much is given, much is required “(Luke 12:48). He believes in the creative energy of young people as the fuel for positive change.” Councilor Kyle Rae of the Toronto City Council in Canada was quoted saying “Kitso is a strong young man and a great role model who represent Africa’s dreams and aspiration of having an HIV free generation”.
This young man has surely come a long way, from nobody to a household name. Today he is watched by thousands of Africans in their televisions almost daily. He has become the talk of his own native village Ramotswa and has demonstrated that everyone, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in, can achieve their goals and dreams. He explains “ Whenever you think you are suffering and before you can say life is not fair, travel the world, watch and read news, and you will see that there are people out there who live in much harsher conditions than you and you will see how privileged you are. I mean, I have traveled to quite a lot of Countries and I have seen how people out there survive, in very harsh and difficult conditions, but they still go on with their lives, smiling”.
Just where does this young man get his inspiration? One wonders, but he is quick to point out “you know, my late grandmother will always be a source of light for me…everyone deserted us when my parents died, my uncles, my fathers sisters, no one wanted a piece of us, but that old woman took us under her wings and gave us live. I am what I am because of her. And my family is the reason why I wake up every morning, they are my drive, I wake every morning and I say to myself “Kitso, go out there and make the impossible possible”…but besides that I read a lot, I have my own personal library at home…from Ishmael Beah’s A long way gone, Barrack Obama’s Dreams from my father, James Frey’s A million little pieces, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Chris Gardner’s The Pursuit of Happiness……live changing books, so I get a lot of inspiration from these stories from heroes of our times. I have also met phenomenal people during my traveling, and their stories have made me strong. You know, I always thought celebrities are just extra-ordinary people, but after meeting some and being their friends, I realized they are just human just like me. I have met Arryn Eldon, a very good friend of mine and one of the best South African music stars, and listening to him telling me about his life, it’s just amazing.”
The young genius has just completed his media training course with BBC World and has also being trained on Participatory Video with Insight, a UK/France based organization which uses video to empower communities to tell their stories and develop themselves. Kitso is back in Botswana after spending some time in South Africa and Kenya shooting a reality television show. And one wonders, what is next for this genius? He is just full of smiles and simply says “This is just the beginning, right now, I am enjoying my job as a coordinator with SEDYEL and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am also looking forward to being part of a major theatre production next year with Mama Theatre”.
So keep watching the space.