Mmabore Gladys Mogashoa

Never ever give up. Pick yourself up after you experience challenges in life. ‘Motho ke motho ka batho’, there will always be someone out there to advice or help you

Heritage activist Mmabore Gladys Mogashoa, 42, from Gamogashoa village in Polokwane, Limpopo, is applying her cultural and spiritual beliefs, as well as artistic talents, to address concerns about the negative changes in South Africa today.

Some of the challenges according to Mogashoa are increased poverty, gender-based violence, drug abuse and the alarming increase in crime in the country. “People are no longer planting their own food, which leads us to consume food and drinks that have side-effects on our bodies and life span,” she explains.

With the indigenous knowledge she has – as a poet, songwriter, author, art collector and traditional practitioner – she is working to raise awareness so that people can take care of each other, and use the talent and knowledge they have to effect positive changes in SA.

She has released two music albums, Ngwanana wa Mopedi and Gasekhukhune. She has also published a Sepedi heritage book Bohwa bja rena, and co-authored Excuse my Color, a book about challenges faced by people with albinism.

“I also worked with learners from Tshehlwaneng Senior Secondary school in doing research for the Bechmarks Foundation on how Covid-19 affects school-going youth aged 16-20,” she says.