Botswana: Rorisang Mogojwe

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

I am a writer, journalist and poet. In the very near future, I will be a published author as I have just started writing my first book. I am also a News Anchor and a communications consultant for various companies. Bringing words to life is my life.

Growing up, my mother had a dream that I would one day become a doctor or a lawyer or some other “serious” professional because I got good grades. We even fought about what optional subjects I should pick. I wanted to do English Literature, she wanted me to do Accounts. Even in school when we were divided into classes according to grades, I always ended up with the smart kids doing subjects I did not care for like Extended Math and Chemistry. So to escape my frustrations I would sneak off to the library and immerse myself in books, as they provided me with an escape. I relished the freedom to explore other worlds without leaving the room and be whoever and whatever I wanted to be without changing who I was. To this day, my great love affair with words has shaped my entire world.

Women are victors, not victims. Therefore, we need to dream beyond our comfort zones just enough to get ahead without the sympathy and protective laws that our pitiful society puts out every now and then trying to empower women, and have some balance of power between males and females.

I was lucky enough to discover my passion at an earlier age, I sought to help others find theirs. So I started a youth empowerment movement called Diamond Divas which aims to help teen girls find their life purpose in order to gain a sense of direction for their own lives. Because really, there is no way we were born just to pay bills and die.

I used to host a talk show called Live the Talk on Yarona Fm, a private radio station with a targeted audience of youth (13-35 years). During this show, I discussed topics about social issues that affect young people in Botswana. One day during the show, I received a phone call from a gentleman who told us that the show gives him life, a reason to wake up every day.

There is a low representation of women in leadership and decision making positions across the spectrum, which sometimes delays and limits girl’s ability to dream. Furthermore, access to the women who are doing amazing things is quite limited and that is why I started Diamond Divas. I wanted to create a space for young women to get mentored, to network and receive guidance. A space that hopefully will aid our next batch of women leaders beyond their dreams and live a life of purpose. Empowering young girls is a cause that I am fighting for both in my community and profession as a journalist and radio personality because radio and print are platforms that I use to drive the empowerment agenda forward. Financial resources and negative societal attitudes are some of the challenges we face. My team and I have approached both government and private companies for support.

I want to be an influencer and effective leader through civic engagement. The driving force in my career right now is that in 10 years I will be running an innovative media enterprise whose core competency is the creation and dissemination of information content. As an aspiring entrepreneur and a community builder, I expect to align the two roles to further push the women and youth development agenda, through inspiring and educating my community. Being the voice of the voiceless and telling stories of those who cannot tell them.