When small is big

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Ludo Chube

Location : Mahalapye

Event : interview

 

 At 18-years of age, Pako still looks like a five-year old in every respect. He flaunts a tiny body, baby face and voice. At clothing shops, Pee Kay, as he is popularly known in local circles, says he still turns to kiddies’ sections - where he looks for size ‘7-8 years.’   

Amazingly, as soon as he starts talking, it becomes clear that what Pako lacks in body stature, he makes up for in personality. In summary, he is bubbly, articulate, and an obvious extrovert, to say the least. Like everyone else, the teenager has dreams for himself as he says he loves music and the performance industry. “Ke rata mmino thata ebile ke bata go nna DJ,” (I like music so much that I hope to become a DJ one day), he says. 

To prove his point, he says he once belonged to a certain dance group known as Vekkasi, which used to perform alongside the famous Botswana kwasa kwasa king, Franco Lesokwane.  Sadly, he says the group has since broken up. 

With a glowing look, Pako declares that he is such a good and confident dancer that another local music icon, Vee Wa Mampela, once recruited him into his band. Unfortunately the deal fell off. 

As there is no doubt that every child’s dream is to grow big and become strong, many parents have often manipulated their kids into eating a lot of food so that they grow up to be as big as their parents. Invariably, the trick has worked. 

Hard to understand though is the fact that, for Pako, the aspiration of becoming a grown up and strong adult seems to have eluded him.

When growing up, Pee Kay says he always noticed that he was slightly different especially because his twin brother seemed to be growing way taller than him. “Not that I was bothered but I needed an explanation all the same,” he quips. And one day, he says, he naively asked his mother why he was different from his brother, and the answer he got was that it was because of some sickness he suffered as an infant.

In a separate interview, Pee Kay’s mother, says his son had a liver disease as a kid, and that apparently led to his stunted growth. 

Many young people desire to be adults so much that they would proclaim their ages in rather optimistic and futuristic terms such as rounding off their ages to 16 when they are just over 15.

However, for Pako, the issue of his growth does not bother him, and he will not let it get in his way in any way. For instance, he does not feel intimidated when he has to ask a girl out. “Ba a tlhaloganya, ke batho” (As human beings, they must understand), he says.

Without the least bit of embarrassment one would expect from a teen when discussing such touchy matters, he goes as far as to say that he is normally attracted to the older girls as teenagers like him are troublesome. 

Though he is small in frame, he stands his ground and does not entertain any bullying from anyone. “I don’t believe that anyone can bully me, if they try to, I make it plain to them that I will not allow it and they back off,” asserts.

Pako’s twin brother, Bakang, who resembles his brother facially but visibly taller, describes Pee Kay as a peace-loving person who is fun to hang out with. “O rata go tshega le go bina, o nna hela a itumetse,” (He is always jolly and laughs a lot), he says.

It would seem that Pako and Bakang love the show business equally as both did not waste time performing a short piece of music for Kutlwano journalists. Pako’s spectacular dance moves confirmed his earlier assertion that even the famous ‘Vee’ was interested in him at one point. 

However, he says his diminutive figure sometimes disadvantages him. For instance, once he was refused entry into a certain bottlestore because they thought he was underage. One of the store owners, he says, told him plainly that “Bana ba sala kontle” (children remain outside).

He would have been chucked out, he says, had he not produced his Omang (ID) to prove that he was indeed 18 years old. The teenager says in such situations he finds refuge in his Omang card. However, he says, in Mahalapye his Omang is often not a big deal because he is well known, after all Mahalapye is where he was born and bred.

As someone who would like to realise his dream of becoming a Disc Jockey (DJ), Pako says he is currently being mentored by DJ Truu, whom he looks up to in the industry. “Ke batla go ya go feleletsa dithuto tsame ko BOCODOL gore ke tle ke kgone go tswelela le moopelo,” he says enthusiastically. 

Like everyone else, he dreams of one day having his own family complete with a wife and kids. This is despite the fact that he is trapped in a child’s body. When you look past Pako’s height, he is just your average naughty and fun-loving teenager next door. 

Of course he might not be growing vertically but strike a conversation with him and you might find yourself practising in front of your mirror trying to pump up your confidence level to match his. 

Teaser:

 

One Saturday afternoon, at Mahalapye Railways Entertainment Centre, reporters from Kutlwano sighted what looked like a five-year old child confidently walking in and out of a beer hall. Since in Botswana children under the age of 18 are not allowed inside alcohol-selling points, Ludo Chube, one of the reporters, set out to interview him. It turned out...