Grade 9, Pride Learning Academy
In the village of Thathe lived a young fourteen-year-old girl, and her name was Tshanduko, meaning “change”. She lived with her grandmother and cousins. Her parents had left her and gone to start their lives afresh in the city. Tshanduko was known as a fierce girl; people often said she had the spirit of a lioness, proud and wild. But beneath her sharp words and stone-cold gaze was just a hurt and lonely girl. She was like that because she was afraid to love. When her parents left, she became the lioness she is right now, much stronger on the outside and broken inside. She believed that to survive she had to be tough and never show her weakness. So she built walls around her heart, walls that kept others out, even those who truly loved and cared for her.
Everyday Tshanduko walked through the dusty streets. She was like a shadow; wherever she stepped, you could feel the fire burning in her. When children laughed, she looked their way and hissed like a snake. When friends reached out, she scared them off like a monster in the shadows. The more she tried to be strong, the more she broke, just like a glass that was being heated under much pressure. The fire inside her was burning out and leaving only ashes of anger and pain in her heart.
In the village every Saturday there was a village meeting. On one beautiful Saturday, sky clear, and soothing sounds of water enchanting in their ears like a melody, everyone gathered under the large, scarred, and oldest tree of the village. The air was thick with anticipation. The elders spoke softly but with power and wisdom. They spoke about Ubuntu, the ancient African belief that said, “I am because we are”. They explained how strength comes from unity, kindness, understanding, and love.
Tshanduko’s ears were open just for the sake of hearing, but her heart was closed. “How can I be part of this?” she thought. “I am not like them. I have no time for being sweet. I have a heart of stone, not of a baby. I am a lioness, powerful and fearless.” That night Tshanduko sat alone beneath the stars, staring deep into space. The vast sky seemed to whisper secrets to her. She remembered her grandmother’s gentle voice, “A heart that loves is stronger than that of a fierce warrior.” Tears came out of her eyes as she reminisced about the person she had become. Those tears were not because she was ready to demolish the walls she had built in her heart.
But Tshanduko changed, and she helped people in the village and even spoke sometimes. The word spread quickly. People were surprised to see Tshanduko helping others, laughing and smiling. Some said, “That fierce lioness is changing! The heavens will descend.” Some welcomed her change with warm hearts and open arms.
Yet change was not easy. Sometimes her old anger bubbled to the surface like a volcano that was threatening to erupt. She would snap at friends or retreat into exile. But each time, the spirit of Ubuntu overpowered her. It reminded her to forgive herself and try again. Like a diamond slowly forming under pressure, Tshanduko’s heart was evolving and Ubuntu was growing inside of her.
One day during the harvest festival, Tshanduko stood before the village. She spoke with a steady voice full of hope but also full of power. “I am not the same girl who hid behind anger and pain all those years ago. I have changed. I am Ubuntu because I belong to you and you belong to me. Together, we are stronger. Together we are one!” Her words touched many hearts that day. Tshanduko had become a true beacon of inspiration to others.
Her journey taught her and everyone around her that the true strength is not about fighting alone. It’s about holding hands, sharing burdens and lighting each other’s paths when days are dark.
Tshanduko’s name had always meant change, but now she really knew its meaning. Not only she, but the whole village, knew it’s meaning.
She whispered to the wind and said, “I am Ubuntu and Ubuntu lives in us.”