Mabifi, Botswana hermit

A poignant piece from Botswana titled “The Hermit of Mogoditshane” reflects the poverty of the region as part of the context of the hermit’s own situation. Here is the byline:

The little tin shack has stood in its present location for nearly 30 years. The figure that has been seen going in and out of the little hole that forms the doorway, and sometimes disappearing for days on end is Moagisi Mabifi.

The journalist sympathizes with his interviewee, the latter recalling his life’s circumstances and how he came to find himself living as a hermit. The narrative offers the sense of irony and what the journalist calls Mabifi’s sense of “hopelessness.”

URL: http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=6&aid=519&dir=2010/March/Monday1