Pep talk planted seed for an award-winning art project
IT ALL started with a pep talk for a young school girl who appeared to be drinking her future away.
That was the time when social entrepreneur Nthabiseng Letsoso of Orlando West, Soweto, started her journey to being crowned queen of the inaugural Soweto Business Stars Awards last week.
Letsoso was among 350 contestants who entered the competition the City of Johannesburg uses to unearth emerging entrepreneurs.
The event, held at the Soweto Empowerment Zone, Diepkloof, saw 20 finalists named, with Letsoso emerging as the overall winner.
Letsoso’s business venture, After School Art Programme, pocketed R175 000 prize money.
She told Sowetan about her business’s humble beginnings.
“I was a toilet artist at the time. I was painting toilets at a car wash when a young girl walked in holding a can of an alcoholic drink.
“I was concerned because she looked very young.
“She said she was in Grade 10. I asked her what her career ambition was and she said she wanted to be a lawyer. I then went to her school and wanted to talk to her life orientation teacher.
“The teacher asked me to talk to all the children in class. I ended up giving a motivational talk to three more classes that day.
“I spent eight months in the school helping the teacher.
“I then asked the children to register for an after-school art programme,” Letsoso said.
The business operates from the old muthi shop in Orlando West. It is a joint initiative with her partner, Mambila Mageza.
She teaches different art forms, including painting, photography, drawing, drama and dance to pupils from Grade 1 to 12.
When Sowetan visited the centre there were children going through programmes. Among them were Mochekoane sisters Lebo, 6, and Karabelo, 8, who were drawing. A youth community art programme which Letsoso has allowed to use space at her office, Urban Black Youth Club, was teaching youth script writing.
Letsoso said she would use her prize money to develop her office and buy equipment.
“A young girl walked in holding a can of an alcoholic drink. I was concerned...