Maureen Odubeng
5 December 2008
In addition to the airwaves, two courageous young volunteers are taking the war on drug abuse to the battleground that probably matters the most - the schools. 'Dollar Mac' Kgosidintsi and 'Ms B' Seone know what they're talking about because they are recovering from the seriously ruinous trip themselves
By the age of 13, Ernest (not his real name) was already hooked on drugs and could not function without sniffing or smoking a little marijuana. Asked how he got hooked on drugs, he simply answered, "Just for fun."
This is happening right here under our noses in Botswana. More and more teenagers and youth are getting hooked on habit-forming drugs 'to have fun'.
Yarona FM recently launched an anti-drugs campaign, using two very brave recovering drug users to give a humane face to the campaign. The station says the aim is to sensitise Batswana to the ever-growing drug abuse problem in Botswana, particularly among young people. The two former Yarona FM employees go on air on and share their personal experiences of substance abuse and the consequences.
The campaign does not end with the on-air programme. The two also address schools with the hope of discouraging students, who have never touched drugs not to even think about it while motivating those into the dangerous habit to stop before it is too late. The two - Kgosi 'Dollar Mac' Kgosidintsi and Bonolo 'Miss B' Seone - recently shared their experiences with students of Maoka Junior Secondary School in Gaborone.
While some may ask what drugs have to do with children in junior secondary schools, the fact is that drug abuse by students is there and growing.
People who make easy money peddling street drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy have found schools to be a profitable niche. Some of them actually have students working as their agents as was illustrated by a Ledumang Senior Secondary School student who was was recently caught red-handed.
When he took centre-stage to share his experiences with Maoka students, Kgosidintsi did not waste time before delving into the real matter, admitting to the hall full of students that he is a recovering drug user who had paid a heavy price "for the fun". The young man said when he started using drugs, he had seen it as 'the in thing'. But he was soon losing focus: "I saw myself as being above everyone, even teachers," he said.
Kgosidintsi appealed to the students to say no to drugs because they could only lead to unspeakable consequences, citing the loss of his radio presenter's job on Yarona FM as an example of the disaster he was talking about.
"Drugs are as serious a scourge as HIV/AIDS in Botswana," he said. "Saying no to drugs is taking a stand against HIV/AIDS."
Drugs inhibit thinking and lead to doing things that no-one can do in a sober state of mind. Intravenous drugs are a step towards HIV infection through shared use of needles in communes where there is also the danger of having unprotected sex, Kgosidintsi said.
The first step to stopping is admitting to oneself that one has a problem. In his crusade, the young man said once he decided to get his life back on track, he changed his phone number in order to cut communication with those he had been 'doing drugs' with. "I didn't want any temptations jeopardising my recovery," Kgosidintsi explained. As for Bonolo Seone, she got hooked on drugs "for no apparent reason", she says.
Clearly regretful, Seone said her road to ruin had started with alcohol, thinking that it was only a way to socialise.
She then gravitated to tobacco, and before long she was taking what she thought was an occasional puff on a joint of marijuana. And that was it - she was hooked on drugs.
Like Kgosidintsi, Seone warned the students to be careful of peer pressure and appealed to them to choose their friends carefully.
"Don't worry about people who regard you as boring simply because you don't drink or do drugs," she said. "One mistake I made was failing to say no."
At question time, a courageous Form 3 student stood and admitted to finding it extremely difficult to quit drugs and asked the two how they had made it.
He had taken a crucial step to quitting by accepting that he had a problem, came the answer that was accompanied by an honest acknowledgement by Kgosidintsi and Seone that they did not have all the solutions.
Marijuana used to be almost the commonest drug in Botswana, but cocaine and ecstasy have also taken hold, especially of the young.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
