Tumelo Moreri
On being comfortable in her own skin, leadership and her passion for Africa
The taste of the potato roast we shared over my interview with Tumelo
Moreri still lingers in my mouth as I write this. It was nothing out of the
ordinary. Just peeled potatoes drenched in store-bought sauce and baked in an
oven until golden and crisp. However, the taste was exquisite. With every bite
I felt like Jamie Oliver himself whisked that sauce from scratch and baked that
dish specially for me. For those who know Tumie well, this will not come as a
surprise. She has that innate ability to add magic to the most bland of things.
With a full stomach and satisfied taste buds, I made myself comfortable on a
revolver chair in her room. While adjusting the voice recorder I used for the
interview and fussing over my notebook, I couldn’t help but panic. Tumie is a
very dear friend of mine – has been for a few years now. The task I’d given
myself to put my experience of her in a written word capsule made me sweat all
of a sudden. How was I going to capture the essence of this eccentric and
immensely gifted young woman and convey it to the world in a way that kept the
core of who she is in tact? Not knowing where to start, I procrastinated for a
long while until I realised that a portrayal of someone like her, who is a
“what you see is what you get” type of character should start with how she
presents herself to the world.
On your first encounter with her,
you’re most likely to remember her smile. The way it connects harmoniously with
her big eyes to light up her face. Then a quick and firm handshake will follow
an intense look into your eyes as she introduces herself to you. In that moment,
whether you’re conscious of it or not, you become relaxed and a slight surge of
energy runs through you because this young woman who oozes of confidence has
just acknowledged your existence and silently communicated to you that you
matter. I have seen this play out so many times but it still strikes me each
time I witness it. I have held small talks with total strangers whom she has
introduced to me with so much enthusiasm like they go way back only to have her
respond with “Nope, just met him/her a few hours ago” when I ask if that person
is a relative of hers I should know of. She treasures every encounter she has
with people and always wants to add value to them in any way she can. Her
commitment to making a difference in the world is deeply rooted in her genuine
love for people.
People matter to her. Especially the people of
the African continent. Actually, the way she loves Africa, even the ants on the
ground that she steps on by mistake would get a “proper” ritual send off if it
were up to her. Tumie has a heart sold out for Africa. She loves this continent
so much that a map of Africa neatly adorns the middle of her back readily
announcing to the world that she intends to carry the
A tattoo of Africa adorns her back as a symbol of her commitment to this continent |
Tumie believes in striving to be
in sync with your higher self and being the best ‘you’ you can be. She believes
in engaging her spiritual self to pursue discipline and excellence. As a
result, she’s one of the most highly disciplined people I know. The most
visible area in her life where this principle has manifested is in her
academics. She’s been a straight ‘A’ student throughout her academic career and
has achieved what many only dream of. In her first year at university, she got
distinctions in all her modules and continued to graduate with a B.Sc. Actuarial
Science degree with distinction. That’s no small feat, but she quickly
dismisses any form of praise when this is mentioned. Her humble nature simply
won’t let her accept any form of praise based on her accolades and achievements. Rave about her warmth and good energy and see her kwasa kwasa as she thanks you for it.
Commend her on her selfless endeavours and see how her face lights up. That’s
the kind of praise that boosts her and makes her want to achieve more.
“I’m a believer in all things
good – celebrating life, joy, hope and growth”. She says growth is an integral
part of her everyday experience as she intentionally wants it to be that way.
“It’s a calm process [growth]. You believe in the process and let it go.
Everything will fall into place. Just stay true to yourself and follow your
bliss.” Tumie wasn’t always on this road to enlightenment. In 2009 when she
first moved to South Africa from her home country of Botswana, she decided to
be an ordinary student and not to trail blaze her way through academics and
extra curricular activities as she was known to do. Her high school years in
Botswana were characterized by over achieving in every aspect and she was tired
of the pressure it put on her. So she made the choice to shrink her inner light
to “fit in”. Add to that, the workload of the course she enrolled in, in 2010
and a very different Tumie came to being. Had I been asked to describe her back
then “uptight”, “aloof” and “rude” were some of the words I would have used.
She focused solely on her studies and neglected her creative side. While this
paid off at the end of the year as she became a Golden Key member and achieved
outstanding results, she wasn’t content. Her spirit was suffering as one would expect. She lost
her self-confidence and even started questioning the choices she was making
towards her career.
Being a creative myself, I can
imagine how soul hollowing abandoning that side of your being can be.
(Actually, I’ve done it myself and I know it’s not a good space to be in). Tumie’s
creativity is one of the first traits you’ll notice as you get to know her
better. From the décor in her room, the way she dresses, to the way she
brainstorms and puts her ideas across. It adds to her peculiar nature. She
began tapping into her creative side in primary school when she started keeping
a journal. Back then it was a “dear diary thing” as she puts it. However, it evolved
over the years into a creative outlet that allows her to structure her thoughts
and to reflect. Journaling is a spiritual exercise for her as she prays through
her journals. She ponders over heavy questions and life-changing decisions
through her writing. She believes God guides her through life this way. “I
speak to God through my journals. I ask the most important questions through my
writing. At the end of each journal entry the answers come to me. We have all
the answers within ourselves. God gives them to us.” Journaling allows her to
be a spectator in her life when she needs to be so she can critique it from an
observer’s perspective. She attributes her preference to having few friends to
this ( I guess I should count myself lucky then!).
Apart from helping her connect
with God, journaling has helped her engage in self conversations. At this point
in our interview, I get tempted to ask if she’s ever had a psychiatric analysis
done before. I decide to bag this comment when she elaborates on this concept.
I’d heard this before but the simplicity in which she applies this concept to
herself gave me one of the most profound “aha” moments this year. “Self
conversations are important. Build a relationship with yourself. You’re stuck
with yourself – really get to know yourself. I do it. As a result, I enjoy my
company very much.” I’m convinced one of the many sources of her confidence is
her ability to “hang out” with herself. How many of us can truly lay claim to
that statement?
Towards the end of 2010 Tumie
wanted to revive the self-confidence she had lost and she wanted to embrace her
true self. She started reading again and exploring her creative side. One of
the books she read during this time which had a profound impact on her life and
made her want to rekindle that light she’d decided to put out earlier was “The
monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. “It was from this book that I
learned of the value of running my own race; that competition is a myth. I
learned to focus only on my goals and vision and not bother what the person
next to me was up to. The only time I’d have to bother about what another
person is up to is when I’m seeking inspiration or guidance. It taught me to be
comfortable in my own skin and to present to the world only what is my
authentic self. It taught me of self-mastery and that only I was the limit to
my dreams.”
As a strong advocate for literacy
and reading, we dwelled greatly on this subject and as usual, we found
ourselves engaging in African issues pertaining to these.During her time as a
University of the Free State student her interest in social justice has grown
from the perimeters of her university campus to those of the world. In August 2012
she was elected as the International Affairs Officer in the Student Representative
Council (SRC) where she served until August 2013.
This new skill was put to the
test earlier this year in June when she was selected to attend the G8 summit as
the sherpa of the African Union (AU) youth delegation. As grateful as she was
for the exposure it gave her and the incredible opportunity she got to interact
with people from many different backgrounds, the experience has left her
feeling somewhat daunted. “Coming face to face with the lack of genuine care and
interest in Africa by developed countries – their leadership and citizens left
me shattered. They constantly make decisions about Africa fuelled by
self-interest and ignorance.” Needless to say, at this point, Tumie got fired
up. Her genuine passion for the development of Africa consumed her to the point
where her eyes welled up with tears. She’s generally a highly emotional person.
Her fervor for justice to be served in Africa and for the development of this
continent with all its emotional punctuation, is very contagious.
“I came back with my passion
re-ignited. I got to appreciate Africa as a woman but developed countries treat
her like a girl. Don’t they think she’s woman enough to decide her own fate?
They’re breaking her down into little pieces then they exploit her. We need to
take Africa to a place where she is self-sufficient, with no foreign hands on
her.” Having started an NGO with a friend that tackles the challenge of
inactive citizenry, she’s well on her way to contributing to Africa getting to
that place. Clearly demonstrating that she walks the talk.
Look out for Part 2 of my interview with Tumie, where we go back in
time to her childhood to see how this phenomenal woman was shaped into who she
is today. We also highlight what the future holds for her.
Pictures by Hlumi
Contact: 076 165 9020
Bulletproof soul - Lerato Molisana