Around January 1999, we got a new, foreign classmate. His name was Meki Banda from Zambia. Probably one of the darkest boys I had ever seen. Meki’s mother was a Food and Nutrition teacher in my school. On the other hand, my elder sister, Molly was my Commerce teacher.
Meki and I became good friends. Most weekends the 17-year-old Meki drove his mother’s Toyota van round Kanye attending house parties and sometimes going to pubs, usually, I would be riding shotgun, that is, on the passenger seat. Sometimes we would drive as far as Gaborone, to go to night clubs. Meki was a very intelligent student, he became the main reason I never got Position 1 in class. Following 10 years of the failed attempts, my final year, I got agonisingly close, only Meki stood in my way. Meki loved girls, he loved art and hip-hop music. Occassionally in his room, I would go through Meki’s written poetry and lyrics while he was taking a shower.
In 2000, Meki went to study at Cape Town and the following year I went to study at Midrand. The last time I saw Meki was around 2002 in Mochudi, just outside Gaborone, at his mother’s house. Around 2008 I reconnected with Meki, who was then in USA. The last time I heard from Meki was in 2015 and he was back in his motherland Zambia.
I miss you Meki. Where are you Meki?
Blessing Kgosi e tsile Kgasa 