�Madam Speaker Sir� Breaks Glass Ceiling
Gothataone Moeng | Monday March 24, 2014 12:29
Speaking at the Thursday launch of Nasha’s autobiography entitled: ‘Madam Speaker, Sir: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, One Woman’s Struggles’, the judge said the story of the former cabinet minister will give Batswana women and girls a reason to walk taller.
He said the book shows that a human being can be shaped by history and vice-versa. He said the story of Nasha is that of an ordinary girl who moved ahead to become what was inconceivable just a few years ago. He stated that the book is a reminder that the Botswana society and nation needs to create equal opportunities for girls and boys. To this end, society needs to double its efforts to ensure that there are women, not just in politics, but in all other spheres of life.
Nasha’s book is already ruffling feathers for its criticism of some people in the ruling party. Dingake said the book confirms that Botswana’s democracy is still a project under construction. He said readers of the book, which illustrates Nasha’s tireless fight for the inclusion of women, will make people look back and say: “She was who she is to the end and at no point did she sell her soul”.
At the launch, Nasha said the book, published by Diamond Educational Publishers, is a culmination of work that she started over a year ago.
“This book is about the road that I have travelled, some of it smooth, some of it rough, some of it very rough. I have made an effort to tell the story as honestly as possible,” Nasha said. She added that she was hesitant to start work on the book after staying away from the typewriter for 24 years. “I thought about it over many days and I convinced myself I was never going to make it. Eventually, I started writing, and once I started I never stopped, even now I am still writing,” she said.
The book launch was attended by people from across the political spectrum, the intelligentsia and high ranking officials in the civil service.
Meanwhile, Dr David Norris, from the University of Limpopo lamented the dearth of the reading culture in Botswana at the launch. He said the lack of reading poses a danger to the present and future generations of Batswana. He said no country can meaningfully develop if its citizens do not read. He said studies have shown that people who read are more likely to vote. “If you don’t read, you can keep a tyrant in power for ever,” he said.