Nairobi dorpa nǃa’an nǂan koara, ǂxan tjuǀhoa ǃ’uin gea, nǁaqemhi xrupu ma koara tjusi ku ǃxoana. Siǃa ǁau ku nǂai tsi ǀam nǀui waqnhe ko tca ha ku oo tsia. Nǃoma nǀui, nǁaqemhi pakah siǃa ǂoasi ko ka si koh tza nǃama nǃang ǂ’aua cesi. Ko ǂ’au ǃxoe u siǃa ku’u ǃhara ǀkurisi. ǁ’A nǁaqemhisa xrupu nǃang Magozwe ko gea. Ha koh o da’amaǃo ko siǃa khoea.
In the busy city of Nairobi, far away from a caring life at home, lived a group of homeless boys. They welcomed each day just as it came.
On one morning, the boys were packing their mats after sleeping on cold pavements. To chase away the cold they lit a fire with rubbish.
Among the group of boys was Magozwe. He was the youngest.
ǁ’Aea Magozwe ǁ’a ha nǃauasi koh ǃao, ha koh sin o barah sa o faif. Ha u ku ge ǀxoa ha tsu. ǃHoan he ǀoa ǃ’uin da’ama. Ha ǀoa ǀ’an ǂ’auan Magozwe ko ‘msi. Ha oo ka da’ama kaice du ǁkoa ǂ’haisa gǀaoh.
When Magozwe’s parents died, he was only five years old. He went to live with his uncle. This man did not care about the child. He did not give Magozwe enough food. He made the boy do a lot of hard work.
Ka Magozwe ku nǁa kana tsitsa’a, ǁ’aka ha tzu ku nǂam ha. ǁ’Aea Magozwe ku gǂara ha tzu ko skore gǃa, ha tzu ku nǂam ha ka ko, “A m koara ǂ’ang ko ku nǃaroh tci nǀui.” Ka barah nǃani ǂaun ǀ’an ǁaesia ke Magozwe ǃaah gǀaia ha tzu. Ha coa te ku tza nǁooa daoh nǃang.
If Magozwe complained or questioned, his uncle beat him. When Magozwe asked if he could go to school, his uncle beat him and said, “You’re too stupid to learn anything.”
After three years of this treatment Magozwe ran away from his uncle. He started living on the street.
Daoh nǃang ǀxoa tih te nǁaqemhi sa a ǂ’hai ku ǁ’hai tih ka ku ho ‘msa o ǀam nǃang gasi. ǁ’Ae gesin siǃa ǁ’ang siǃa ǀ’aesi, ǁ’ae gesin siǃa nǂam siǃa ǀ’aesi. ǁ’Aea siǃa ǀkae, ju nǀuia hui koara. ǁ’A xrupua ku ǀxoa ǀxoa marima siǃa gǂara nǁo, kota ku nǂai ǁ’ama nǁo naqinonasi kota tci ǃxare sa ce o nǂai ǁkoa gasi. ǀXoa cete sin ku gǀaoh u ko ǁkae ǀxoa siǃa gesin ko nǃaih khama si kare ǁaea dorpa ko ǁ’ae.
Street life was difficult and most of the boys struggled daily just to get food. Sometimes they were arrested, sometimes they were beaten. When they were sick, there was no one to help.
The group depended on the little money they got from begging, and from selling plastics and other recycling.
Life was even more difficult because of fights with rival groups who wanted control of parts of the city.
ǀAm nǀui ǁ’aea mangozwe koh ku nǂaqro nǁo doroma nǃang tciasi, ha ho nǂoahn ǂxanu nǃa’an nǀui. Ha ǁhai tzau hi te ǀ’ua hi ko ha ǀahin nǃang. ǀAm nǀui waqnhe ha ku gǃxa ǁ’a ǂxanua ka se nǂom tciasi. Ha ǀoa ǃ’han tca ju ku oo nǁaq’ara ǀoresi.
One day while Magozwe was looking through the dustbins, he found an old tattered storybook. He cleaned the dirt from it and put it in his sack.
Every day after that he would take out the book and look at the pictures. He did not know how to read the words.
ǁ’A nǂom tciasa nǂoahn ua nǃhoama ǃ’am he gǀae o dxuu nǃari kxao. ǁ’Ae gesin ha ku taqra ka ha hin koh o ǁ’a nǃhoama he o nǂoahn ǂxanua mah.
The pictures told the story of a boy who grew up to be a pilot.
Magozwe would daydream of being a pilot. Sometimes, he imagined that he was the boy in the story.
Ka koh ǂ’au te Magozwe nǃuan daoh nǃang te gǂara. ǃOahn nǀui nǂaoh tsia ha. “Ehee, mi o Thomas. Mi ǁkoa toma khuinke, ko koa a hoa tci nǀuia a ‘m,” ǁ’A nǃhoan koe nǁae. Ha ǁ’ah nǃanga tjua o gǁoq’oninǃuu he ka ǁ’hannǃang o nǀa’an ǁ’auhn. “Mi ǂ’ang te ko a ua ǁ’a koa ka u ho ‘msi?” Ha stista’a. Magozwe se ǁ’a nǃhoan ka se u ǁ’a tjua. “Khoe nǀui,” ha koe nǁae, te nǂhao u.
It was cold and Magozwe was standing on the road begging. A man walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Thomas. I work near here, at a place where you can get something to eat,” said the man.
He pointed to a yellow house with a blue roof. “I hope you will go there to get some food?” he asked.
Magozwe looked at the man, and then at the house. “Maybe,” he said, and walked away.
Te nǃui sa kugǁaoa, da’abi sa koara tjusi. Ka kaice ho Thomas. Ha are ku nǂoahn ǀxoa ju, kaice nǃana jusa ǃxoana nǁo daoh nǃangsi. Thomas ku ǂaeǂae ju nǂoahnsa o tca ju ku oo ǀxoa. Ha koh ǁ’ua ha ǃka te koqe, ǀoa ǁ’ae kana du ǁxui. ǁ’A nǁaqemhi sa ǁ’ae gesin siǃa gǃa tjua o gǁoqninǃuu kota nǀa’an ǀauhn ko medah ‘masi.
Over the months that followed, the homeless boys got used to seeing Thomas around. He liked to talk to people, especially people living on the streets.
Thomas listened to the stories of people’s lives. He was serious and patient, never rude or disrespectful. Some of the boys started going to the yellow and blue house to get food at midday.
Magozwe koh nǀanga daoh ǃan te ku se ha nǂoahn ǂxanua ko ka Thomas tsi gǀae nǀanga ha ǃ’om. “ǁ’A nǂoahn re nǁa hatce?” Thomas koe tsitsa’a. “Hi ku u ǁxam nǃhoanma ǃ’am he gǀae o dxuu nǃarih kxao,” Magozwe ǁoq’a ce, “ǁ’A nǃnoanma re ha ǃu o hatce?” Thomas tsitsa’a. “Mi ǀoa ǃ’han, mi tam nǁaq’ara,” Magozwe ǂ’auce te koe nǁae.
Magozwe was sitting on the pavement looking at his picture book when Thomas sat down next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a pilot,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“I don’t know, I can’t read,” said Magozwe quietly.
ǁ’Aea sa hoa khoe, Magozwe coa ka nǂoahn ha ǀ’aeha nǂoahn ǀ’an Thomas. Ka koh o nǂoahn o ha tzu ga kota tca ka khoara ha ǃaah gǀaie tjuǀho. Thomas ǀoa kaice kokxui, te ǀoa ǃoa Magozwe ko tca ǂ’aun du ka ǀ’ae, Te tia ku ǁau ku ǂaeǂae tca nǁa ka ǀ’ae. ǁ’Ae gesin sa ku sin nǂoahn ko ǁ’aea sa ge he ‘m ko tjua ka ǁ’han nǃang o nǀa’an ǀauhn.
When they met, Magozwe began to tell his own story to Thomas. It was the story of his uncle and why he ran away.
Thomas didn’t talk a lot, and he didn’t tell Magozwe what to do, but he always listened carefully.
Sometimes they would talk while they ate at the house with the blue roof.
Ko ǁ’ae o Magozwe ǁ’a ha nǃae ǀama ga, Thomas ǀ’an ha ko nǂoahnsi ǂxanua ze. Ka koh o nǂoahn ua tjuǀho nǃang ǃoahnma he koh ǃ’am he gǀae o ǀkaisi buruha kui kxao. Thomas nǁaq’ara ǀ’an Magozwe ko ǁ’a nǂoahn ko nǃangsa ǂ’hai, sin ua ka ha si ko, “Mi ǂ’ang te ko ka te o ǁ’aea a ǂ’aun ua skore nǀang nǃaroh nǁaq’ara. A re naun ǂ’anga?” Thomas nǂoahn ǂ’asara koa da’abi ku gea ka gǃa skore.
Around Magozwe’s tenth birthday, Thomas gave him a new storybook. It was a story about a village boy who grew up to be a famous soccer player.
Thomas read that story to Magozwe many times, until one day he said, “I think it’s time you went to school and learned to read. What do you think?” Thomas explained that he knew of a place where children could stay, and go to school.
Magozwe ge te ǂ’ang ǀ’an khoe ze, kota ku ua skore. Naun ko ka ha tzu koh nǁa tci ǀhoan te ha koara ǂ’ang ko ku nǃaroh tci nǀui waqnke? Naun ko ka siǃa nǂ’ama ha ko ǁ’a khoe zea? Ha koh koaq. “Khoe nǀui ka o nǀaba ko ku ǃxoana nǁho nǃa’ama nǃangsi,” ha koe ǂ’ang.
Magozwe thought about this new place, and about going to school. What if his uncle was right and he was too stupid to learn anything?
What if they beat him at this new place? He was afraid. “Maybe it is better to stay living on the street,” he thought.
Ha nǂoahn ha koaq tamsi ko Thomas. Ko tca ǁ’aesi ko oo ua nǃhoan sin ku ǃoa nǃhoanma toa ko tca ǀxoa te o nǀaba ko khoe ze.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Te sin ku o te Magozwe ǃau gǃa’ama tjua ka ǁ’an nǃang o nǃu’ubu ǀauhn. Ha kosin nǁaq’emhi gesin ǃxoana ǁkae tju nǃang nǀe’e. Siǃa waqnsi ǁkaeǁkaesi da’abi sa o ǃ’oangǃau tsan ǃxoana ǁ’a tjua nǃang. Ge ǀxoa ǁaq Cissy kota ha nǃhoan, gǂuihn nǃani, nǀoahn, kota pari gǂahsi.
And so Magozwe moved into a room in a house with a green roof. He shared the room with two other boys.
Altogether there were ten children living at that house. Along with Auntie Cissy and her husband, three dogs, a cat, and an old goat.
Magozwe coacoa skore te ka koh tih. Ha kxae tcisa ǂ’hai he ha ǂ’aun nǀuih thui. ǁ’Ae gesin ha kare ǁuihn ǀxoa. Te tia ha ǂ’ang nǂoahn ǂxanua sa toa he o dxuu nǃarih kxao kota ǃkaisi buruha kui kxao hia. Sin nǃana ǁ’a sa sah, ha ǀoa ǁuihn ǀxoa.
Magozwe started school and it was difficult. He had a lot to catch up. Sometimes he wanted to give up.
But he thought about the pilot and the soccer player in the storybooks. Like them, he did not give up.
Magweza koh nǀanga tjua ka ǁ’a nǃang ǀauhn ǁ’a ka tarah nǃanga, he ku nǁaq’ara skore nǂoahn ǂxanu. Thomas tsi gǀae nǀanga ha ǃ’om. “Nǂoahn to’a re ua hatce?” Thomas tsitsa’a. “Ka ua ǃoahnma he u o nǃaroh kxao.” Magpzwe koe ǁoaq. “Ha ǃu re o hatce?” Thomas tsista’a. “Ha ǃu o Magozwe,” Magozwe koe nǁae te zoma.
Magozwe was sitting in the yard at the house with the green roof, reading a storybook from school. Thomas came up and sat next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a teacher,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“His name is Magozwe,” said Magozwe with a smile.
