Tales to shepherd the flock

MITCHELIN KANGOOTUIARMED only with a passion for writing and telling his stories to many across society, Orcha Mike Kaevarua is determined to change the world with the pen.

Coming from humble beginnings, Kaevarua was a shepherd looking after 500 sheep before getting his first job at the Social Security Commission in Windhoek.

Since opening a Facebook account in 2013, the budding writer has touched many with the stories he shares on that social media platform.

Kaevarua was born at Opuwo and grew up at Aminuis where he lived with his father. He attended school at Dr Fischer Primary School (Okomukaru) at Aminuis and high school at Wennie du Plessis at Gobabis.

Kaevarua says everything in the moment inspires him to write. He cannot pinpoint one item as an inspiration because he writes in the moment.

“Being an over-thinker that I am, almost anything can inspire me to write. Normally when I see something, whether on social media or real objects in my day-to-day life, some sort of idea hits me and I feel inspired to give my view through writing.

“Sharing a story whether of my own or that of someone else, or providing perspective through a work of fiction, is an extremely powerful thing we often take for granted,” Kaevarua said.

“My aim for writing has always been to entertain the public. I find it interesting to write something and have many people talking about it,” he said.

His first attempt at writing was a short story titled ‘Tura Chicks’, which focused on the unique lifestyles of young women living in high-density suburbs.

“It has always been a way of speaking my mind. By writing, I am able to express my thoughts and emotions easily, be it despair or ecstasy,” he said.

He finds inspiration from all aspects of life – from the experiences his friends go through to things that happen around the world.

Among a host of materials, Kaevarua has written on topics such as broken marriages, the transmission of HIV-AIDS and youth-related issues.

“Many parents still have the mentality that talking to their children about certain topics such as sex and relationships is taboo. Not having these conversations can lead to the youth lacking proper guidance as they grow up. I decided to take it upon myself to write about this with the intention of educating others,” he said.

One of his most recent stories, ‘Keeping Up with Bianca’, chronicles the life of a young girl who contracts HIV after she completes high school and starts engaging in risky sexual behaviour.

“Right after her exams, Bianca engages in sexual activity with a man who is HIV positive. A month later, she starts dating a doctor. Two months later she discovers that she is pregnant. She tries to commit suicide after discovering that her former lover had died of AIDS,” Kaevarua said.

He also recently completed another piece titled ‘Two types of friends’.

“The reason many people give up is because of who they speak to when they were going through the valley of the shadow of death. Advice can make or break you. Know who to seek it from,” he said.

The story is about a woman whose boyfriend was cheating on her. One friend was always considerate and very attentive when giving her advice on the situation, but the woman receiving the advice ended up taking her own life because of the advice she got from another friend who was very insensitive and inconsiderate.

Kaevarua says there are two types of friends. One that always has your interests at heart and another whose aim is to see you sink in your problems.