King of the hill
Dr Fahim Chand | Monday August 22, 2022 06:00
As his heavy respiratory expulsions continued on their photosynthetic journey, he bent over to seize control of his functions.
His Nike Cortez shoes that had began their morning journey clean and radiating shades of blue and yellow now appeared exhausted. Red sand covered them from tip to heel and shoelaces remained twisted and undone.
A crimson exudate expelled itself through a ragged tear in his jeans.
Surprisingly his painted knee felt nothing. In the written rules of physiology when adrenaline floods the bodily plain, pain is simply non-existent. As his thundering heartbeat slowed, he cast his gaze in all directions.
In the distance, cars carried on their defined journeys in civilised order. It was time. As he stood, he felt an adrenaline-fuelled surge of power that catalysed a slow run, which transformed into a full sprint.
He reached the base of the hill and his energetic legs propelled him upwards. As he continued he saw his target. He leaped forward and let out a loud cry. His measured dive found its target.
The powerful collision sent both boys careening over the edge of the hill tumbling down to the other side. As their dust covered bodies halted their kinetic journey, they looked up to hear another boy scream, “I’m the King of the Hill.” This was a game that we had played in primary school. The objective had been to stand at the top of the hill and repel all attempts to knock you off the top. And should you succeed then you would be named King. I’m sure in most parts of the world some version of this game would have been played.
Whether the pursuit of greatness is innate or acquired has been the subject of intense debate throughout the halls of history. Not really sure it matters, though most of us would strive to present the best version of ourselves. A scan around our global neighborhood would reveal that not only is the quest for glory a solo, but rather a collective pursuit as well.
As the world has been divided into its arbitrary country borders, this demarcation has fuelled each state into a global version of the King of the Hill game. There has been a relentless race to be the best or most powerful global force. In these blind pursuits, sometimes nobility is dispatched.
The need to intimidate and control, in the pursuit of satisfying and achieving the state’s selfish goals, has sometimes shown great injustice. Wars are commonplace on this planet. Displacement of populations and the destruction of human rights barely stimulate any emotion.
The aggressors transform into the greatest of storytellers. Spin doctors twist the truth or conjure up sordid lies to justify their deadly transgressions. The fuel to betray naive, trusting minds. While the pursuit of perceived greatness may journey down a trail filled with darkness, it is not always so. It is in this pursuit that sometimes events occur to better not only our planet, but the lives of all of us who populate it.
One only needs to rewind to 1991 when Swiss computer programmer Tim Berners Lee introduced the World Wide Web. This inauguration changed the course of human history. The pursuit of sporting excellence has provided numerous moments of human triumph. The Selecao Canarinho, otherwise known as the Brazilian national football team have lifted the holy grail of football, the World Cup five times.
Not only do the streets of Brazil and its 214 million people burst into frenzied life, but the rest of the world celebrate in the unparalleled greatness of the magical Brazil football gene. It is in the writing of this type of global history that Brazil’s name will be remembered for posterity.
On August 22, the sharp pencil of antiquity and human heroism initiated a new chapter. The measured distance of 100m in Cali, Colombia had been dispatched in 9.91 seconds. Till present day recorded history, that is the fastest propulsion by an Under-20 human. The architect of this magnificence. None other than our own Letsile Tebogo.
Botswana has stood atop the global King of the Hill numerous times. We currently possess what are widely acknowledged as the finest quality diamonds in the world. In 1999, Botswana was the word whispered by all global citizens as Mpule Kwelagobe and her sublime beauty and intelligence wore the crown of Miss Universe. Drawing comparisons to Usain Bolt, Tebogo eased up and cruised the last 20 metres of his record-breaking run.
The world stood up and took notice as this is the second time he has broken the record. It is moments like this that inject pride into the heart of a nation and its inhabitants.
No matter if you are poor or rich, young or old, if your skin is red or green we all come together as one. Tebogo, the pied piper, leads us forward and it is in these moments that we remember that joy and happiness are the primary pursuit in this game of life on this lonely inhabited planet. It is in the intense efforts and toil of not only Tebogo, but his mother Seratiwa who struggled to raise him and his younger brother, that Botswana and its inhabitants stand with our own Superman, Tebogo as King of the Hill.