Sketchpad - Tigele Mokobi

                                                        Reverend Felix Kgolo Mokobi  This is Reverend Felix Kgolo Mokobi. You may call him Rra Tony, Ntate, Malome, Rangwane or Rremogolo, but do not make the mistake of calling him Mr Mokobi, it is unfitting and he takes offence. He is Rev. F.K. Mokobi son of the late Rev. Maatlameto Mokobi and younger brother to the late Rev. Gasegale Mokobi. During the solemnization of his niece, Unami Pheto’s marriage at Mahalapye, Rev. Mandlenkosi Ncube of the Palapye Congregational Church addressed him as, “Our distinguished living ancestor.” I was doing standard 6 in 1980 when my grandfather, his uncle (Rangwaneagwe) Rev. Hamilton Lekgowe Mokobi fell ill and his condition gradually worsened. Granddad’s offspring had been taking turns to relieve my grandmother, Mma Onalenna (Mma O) in Serowe and look af...

Road-trip conversation with my father It is early Friday morning, daybreak’s hazy glow gives way to the golden rays of the sun and a serene, blissful morning sky. The early summer bloom adds sprinkles of colour to a carpet of green foliage that spreads as far as the eye can see. The A1 is relatively quiet and most drivers are on their best behavior. The only nuisance on the road are the usual suspects, stray animals. My father and I are on our monthly pilgrim to Serowe. We are cruising at a decent speed and Dobie Gray’s classic song ‘Loving Arms’ is playing in the background when he tells me there are a number of government offices he wants to visit in Serowe before they close for the weekend. He asks me to step on it and I happily oblige. Images of traffic cops and speed traps flash in my mind but we are now in the zone, good music and high on an exhilarating cocktail of octane and adrenaline. My father is nursing his wife in Gaborone but lately his health has also taken a downwar...