Voice Note Introduction (Script)

“Family… a word so small, yet it holds the weight of worlds. Before you dive into these words, I want you to feel this: the love, the pain, the unity, and the cracks in between. Because sometimes, family is our greatest blessing… and our heaviest burden. Let’s walk through this together. Let’s reflect.”

Family Matters

Blood thicker than water,
But sometimes it’s the blood that stains.
In the quiet of our homes, we fight wars unseen,
Ngaphakathi emakhaya, kulapho siphilayo—
Between love and struggle, between hope and pain.

Mma o rile, “Ngwana wa gagwe ga a we, o kgaoga marapo.”
But what happens when the bones snap?

When family ties choke instead of heal,
And the walls of our homes echo with silence
More piercing than words ever could?

We eat at the same table,
Yet hunger gnaws at our souls.
Fights over money, over land, over love—
Is this the heritage we pass down?
A battlefield disguised as home.

Baba said, “Phila kahle, mntanami,”
But how do I live well
When we bury truths beneath carpets,
Sweep struggles under rugs,
Pretending the cracks don’t run too deep?

Family matters—
It’s the name we carry, the weight we bear,
The scars we hide, the love we share.
It’s the nights we cry in secret,
And the mornings we smile for the world.

My sister and I—
Fought over dreams, over freedom, over words unspoken.
My brother—
He gave me a shoulder, but never his tears.
Mama? She prayed for us all,
Even when we didn’t pray for ourselves.

Life teaches,
Through struggle, through pain,
That family isn’t perfect,
But it’s ours to mend,
To stitch together piece by broken piece.

Ngwana wa motho ga a tshwanela go phela ka botlhoko,
Yet some of us carry wounds only time can heal.
But even in the chaos, there’s light.
In the arguments, there’s love.
In the silence, there’s understanding—
If we’re brave enough to listen.

So, as you finish reading, ask yourself:
What matters more than family?
And what are you willing to do to save it?

~TlhogiInkWords ~