By Anga Bushwana
My full name is Anga-Anganda Amadinga Amaxesibe, which means my family and ancestors are expecting more blessings for me. At 25 years of age, I am my ancestors’ wildest dream, and slowly but surely, I believe I am living up to my name.
Growing up, I lived with my mother, father, and late brother. We were a very tight and close-knit family until tragedy struck and my brother passed away in a horrific car accident when I was 16 years of age.
Even with all the mental health problems I developed from that event, I was encouraged to keep pushing. I managed to finish my high school career in 2016 at Paarl Girls High School in Western Cape, and wasted no time by enrolling at the University of the Western Cape in 2017. I completed my undergraduate degree at UWC in Political Studies and Linguistics and went on to obtain an Honours degree in Political Studies at the same institution.
2023 was the year of taking a leap of faith, following my heart and relocating to Makhanda. I won’t lie, it has not been easy being in another province, so far from everything I have always known, but it has forced me to grow and understand that all “you are entirely up to you”.
Being at Rhodes University and Grocott’s Mail has taught me that things have to get done and deadlines have to be met, even when one does not feel like it. I have learned to deal with rejection and accept the fact that not all my articles will be published when they are not of standard, further implementing this into my everyday life and understanding that not everyone will accept you for who you are but you need to remain true to yourself always.
(Anga Bushwana is a 2023 Grocott’s Mail student journalist, studying for a postgraduate Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies).
