Genuises - no ordinary beings

There are very few people I obsess over in life, and as shallow as that may sound, those people are usually the super extra-ordinary humans. It always intrigues me how certain people manage to live beyond expectations and the rest just live average lives if not below.

I have recently discovered a young man that goes by the name of Siyabulela Xuza.  He was a guest speaker at an event I recently attended.  When he got on stage, he looked like any ordinary young man. He had a noticeable orange tie on and an awesome stage presence.  He spoke very well and knew how to capture the attention of his audience.  While giving his presentation, I overheard someone mumble about how Siya was bragging about his life.  I got extremely bothered by that remark. This in some way showed that we live in a society where some people are so used to playing small that they expect those who achieve way beyond comprehension should apologise for their feats.  What is wrong with a person who is trying to inspire others through their experiences?  I truly believe that Siya’s story was so relevant to everyone that was present at the event given the fact that he was addressing learners who had just matriculated with A symbols in Maths and Science. He epitomises global excellence; something each and every one of us should aim to achieve.  Siya is a young Afrikan innovator who began a project on rocket fuel and this project exposed him to the world. As a result of his innovative mind, he got invited to the 2006 Nobel Prize ceremonies ( I don’t think he had completed his matric yet), received many accolades and even got a minor planet named after him.  He graduated from Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science where he pioneered micro-fuel cells for mobile energy.  He has since returned to South Africa with a passion for developing solutions for the energy industry.  This is just a sneak preview on this man; should you need to read up more on him, please follow him on twitter @siyaxuza.

Something extremely profound stood out for me as he was giving his presentation.  He mentioned that while growing up in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, he used to experiment a lot with household products. He used his mom’s kitchen as a lab which often got him into trouble.  His mother understood his love for Science so she provided a corner somewhere in the yard where Siya could experiment more.  Siya told a story of how his grandfather was a Science teacher and this also contributed to his love for Science.  

I particularly grew up with a fixing hand.  When I was a young girl; I would fix and try to figure out everything in the house.  My parents knew that if there was a new gadget bought, Malebo would be the one who would try and figure it out.  I was obsessed with cars and electric appliances but pity no one noticed this talent close enough to do anything about it and so it faded with time.  This might explain why I can sit for hours on end figuring out how to build a website. I can sew clothes and do many other things with my hands.  I perhaps need to start taking myself seriously and develop these hands of mine.  
 A few months ago I noticed my best friend’s son's love for dismantling things and putting them back together. I took on to challenge him with a TV remote. I dismantled it (askies Shwe, that was me) and I asked him to fix it for me. In no less than 5 minutes, he had figured out how to put it together.  I kept on noticing other small things as well and advised my friend to pay close attention to his gift and develop it while he is still young.

This brings me to my gripe; how many kids are wandering out there with super amazing gifts but no one pays close enough attention to notice?  Some of this curiosity from kids is dismissed as childhood tjatjaraagness (right at this moment, I am failing to find the proper word for this, but I trust you get my point). Please do not get me wrong, I was using Science just as an example, there are many areas which this piece refers to as well, I singled out Science for the sake of the gripe I had.  

Afrika is truly filled with untapped potential beyond our imagination.  Civilisation and innovation did after all begin in Afrika and we are a part of that heritage.  Are we as adults aware of the smallest behavioural patterns possessed by children?  Entrepreneurship is a huge answer to our continent's woes and the more we tap into our creative space, the better it will be for our livelihood and those who are to follow generations later.

@malebosays