Graduation speech.

Allow me to pay special homage to God who gave me the strength, the emotional , spiritual support as well as carrying me throughout all my academics and my life.

My heartfelt gratitude also goes to

1.      My family – For their support, financial support, their resolute determination to fight with me

2.      Friends – Best friend (Keke) for his utmost support.

3.      Tumelo Community English medium – Raising me as a child.

4.      Sefika High School – For foundation they laid for me

5.      NUL – For the bad experience I got.

6.      University Of The Free State – For molding me into what I am today, of course that includes the faculty of computer science.

7.      Brethren, that includes pastors

8.      Finally, I want to thank Mr Duplesis who was my research supervisor, who helped me to bring the best project of 2018.

For your indulgence, my speech is provocative, controversial and cosmic. It’s inspired by some motivational, cosmic speeches around the globe. So I would expect no one to take the things I am going to say here today to heart. I would also expect all of you to feel at home. Not only that, but also laugh and be entertained. For those of you that will not laugh, my assumption would be that the problems you came with in this ceremony, are bigger than my talent, in which case I am not the one to blame.

As a computer scientist, there are other things that had been a wind beneath my wings during the course of my academic career. I will be dishonest with myself if I do not reference them.

I want to thank YouTube, google, Stack overflow, tutorials point, Wikipedia, Microsoft word & power point. Finally,I want to thank copy and paste, because of whom it would have never been easy.

You might be here today and be wondering why I chose to study computer science.

I believe there are two types of people on the planet. First we have scientist or engineers. Second is none scientist, that is, the rest of the world. I was a non scientist before. I remember way back at Sefika high school, in 2008, where my love for computers sprang. I was under the tutelage of Mr Sunday, who sort of gave me a foretaste of how it feels to be an engineer or scientist. At that time I started reading about computers, topics on computers not in the syllabus. I discovered that to be a computer scientist, you have to think out of the box, be inquisitive, do research, solve problems and Fail. Sefika became the beginning of the birth of a computer science student that I am today. No wonder, Sefika has left a mark in my heart. It is one of the few schools that gave students an opportunity to study IT, before they could be introduced to institutions of higher learning. I can vividly remember that at the end of those memorable years, those of us that passed were awarded certificates in computer studies. Those that didn’t pass were not awarded anything, however, they had an opportunity to photocopy our certificates and replace our names with theirs.

We live in a digital world. Today most people hold smart phones. How many of you have Whats-app or Facebook? Most of you use their phones not only for conversations, chats and calling. You use technology to do commerce, to do education, to do everything possible. And technology has already proved to be the most innovative initiative and discovery of the 21st century. Today technology has gone too far as bringing to us the fourth industrial revolution, the internet of things, which aims to connect every appliance to the internet, such that you can control your gates, your fridges, your cars, all your house appliances to perform certain desired operations even when you are not physically connected to them. The opportunities presented by technology became the reason I chose computer science. Because technology is simply computer science in action, it’s engineering, it’s problem solving, it’s changing the cause of the universe, it’s improving people’s life, it’s changing life for better. As someone has rightly said, “Technology is bringing change into the universe”. Technology is here to stay. Somethings have come and have left. But I don’t see anything that will replace technology, at least in the 21st century.

I thank the university of the free state, for awarding me with this certificate. I want you to know that, I do not take this prestigious award lightly. And I have already instructed my friends, my family and siblings that from today they have to address me differently. Perhaps they could call me, “Mr computer scientist”. No longer calling me just by my first name. And there are no exceptions. During functions, feasts, when I stand to speak, I have to be given that “recognition”.

I have also been informed that from today, I am always right and no one has the right to argue with that. In fact, I am obligated to speak as much as I want today with no one interfering or my qualification will be revoked. Anyone who feel absurd about these standards set by “scholars” is requested to go argue with their ancestor.

It’s fortunate that today I am graduating but not with PhD. You understand if I was obtaining a PhD I would hold a portfolio of a doctor. In which case I would be allowed to perform surgeries. As a careful observer, I have noticed quite a number of abnormalities within women that I feel as a doctor I will address. For the sake of time, I will just talk about one abnormality. I would remove the body part in women that makes them to talk too much. I don't really trust any creature that's not male, except for my future wife. Don't be surprised to discover that the mosquitoes that bite us at night are female mosquitoes , because i am sure male mosquitoes are vegetarians.

Today I am considered to be a graduate, a UFS alumni. Most people present today will probably call me a successful one. Yes, success is indeed a beautiful thing. But often times, it ends up not being the experience we learn from. It’s good and enjoyable, however, there is no wisdom acquired from it. And maybe that’s why it can’t be inherited nor passed to the next generations. Me being what I am today doesn’t in any way guarantee success to my coming tribes. Even if I was to give them all my wealth, teach them everything possible that could help them regain the wealth or succeed. Owing to that, I feel like talking about success is a complete waste of time.

Having established the premise that success is not really worth talking about, allow me to talk about Failure. I am a victim as well as a beneficiary of Failure. I have learnt that it’s not the absence of failure that makes one successful, but a response to failure. The best response to failure is being pragmatic. The idea that if something doesn’t work, another will. It helps to remove the unimportant things in your life. It’s like fire, it’s not meant to burn us, but purify us. Yes, the process is painfully unbearable. It’s a painful pill to swallow, but a patient needs it. Failure also helps you to identify fair-weathered relatives, fair-weathered friends. To see who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Because the strength of your relationships is tested in the phase of adversities.

You have to acknowledge this. You will fail at some point in your life. You will loose. There is no doubt about it. We have all failed in life. That’s why I gave my life to Christ. Because I understand the failure that I was and that only Jesus could save me from the universal failure sin.

You might never fail at the scale I did. However, I want to make it clear that, I no longer blame anyone for my failures in life. The reason being, there is an expiry date to everything, even an essential human life has a lifespan. So what is failure to be glorified. I do not blame the people that steered me in the wrong direction, nor those that wittingly engineered my failure.

Failure is not an enabling experience, it entails fear and even leads to depression sometimes.

As I reflect on my life, I never look back with pleasure. In fact the mere thought of all the predicaments that befell me, passes through my heart like a stroke of lightning. Those days remain indelible in my mind and have refused to be obliterated. With what UFS has done for me, all my tears were wiped away.

As a result of my experience, I think it’s fair to say, by any conventional measure, years before becoming a computer science graduate, from one of south Africa's finest universities, I had failed on an epic scale. I always thought I was the unfortunate one, little did I know that it was a blessing in disguise, as I today celebrate my achievement at a reputable university. I do believe in terms of standard and weight of my qualification, I am better off with a UFS degree than I would be with NUL one. Yes, universities are different in terms of standard, performance, international recognition etc. So please don’t think I am underestimating other varsities. As a kovsie, it would be an exercise in futility to try and compare UFS with Havard or even UCT. It’s like comparing a fat-cake and a doughnut. Both of the two have gone the same process but you get them in different places. So, one would ask, what’s the difference then? “A doughnut is a fat-cake that went to private school”. In spite of these colossal differences among universities, I do admit the fact that all universities have their peculiar problems. This reminds me of a scornful joke. Three institutions UFS, NUL and Fokothi decided to consult God with regard to their problems. The first speaker, UFS, broke the ice, God, we have the problem of racism in our campus, we have fought it for years but in vain, when will it stop. “It will stop after the death of Nelson Mandela”, God said. Fokothi then stood up also, God, our children are always on strike, burning buildings, they even kill each other to do rituals and sacrifices, when will they stop? “Not in your lifetime”, God said, “However, if you can request help from the people from mafeteng, they can defeat those pragmatic students”. But when NUL stood up to ask when will they improve & gain international recognition, God shook His head and said, “Not in my lifetime”. Not in a lifetime of God. So all I can say is that University of the free state is civilized.

Now back to the point, I am not going to stand here and tell you failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one. Had I went through a different route, perhaps I couldn’t have succeeded in the arena that I truly belonged. Therefore,I testify that failure is innocuous.

Some failure in life is inevitable. It is therefore impossible to live without failing at something. Unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all, in which case you fail by default. To get something, you are bound to fail, even a hundred times, just to succeed once. We have already mentioned that we only learn much when we fail. It’s okay to fail. When you do, you are allowed to cry, but eventually you must move on. Failure is important, but it depends on how you use it. I tell you, if you are going to birth your dreams, your passion, your aspirations, you can’t draw back when you fail. You gotta stand up, fight and win. Failure is part of success. It’s a stepping stone to success. Just like the little child who is learning how to walk, he obviously fails multiple times before he can perfect it. So the idea that you must fail multiple times prior to success is just part of it.

I have failed multiple times before acquiring my qualifications. But I didn’t quit. Because I knew what I wanted. From a first class at sefika to a failure at NUL. That experience was unbearable. Mind you, my first year Bsc I got a merit. Just imagine that scale of that failure. That is why I said it was epic. Was I the first to fail? Definitely not. Most successful people today have failed even more than I did. Those of you that did science will agree with me that Thomas Edison, the guy that invented light, light-bulb, it took him thousand failed attempt to discover light-bulb. Today light is one of the beautiful inventions of the 21st century. I haven’t failed that number of times, neither did anyone of you here did. Clearly Thomas knew what he wanted. When he was asked about the experience, he said, “I have not failed. I have just found 1000 ways that won’t work”.

Hard work will never disappoint you. Hard work is a trade mark of successful people. Continue to strive in spite of opposition, continue to have goals. And with that spirit you can get anything you want. Failure will always be there. It’s part of the process.

As a victim of failure I have decided to share with you some principles that if you could apply, will be important to your future.

1.      There is no such a thing as failure.

If you have learnt a lesson you got the best, then you have succeeded. Someone says, sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. In 2008, in a 5090 biology class, the instructor told us that with biology, there is nothing like failure. “It’s called a new discover”. I am not sure about this and might be wrong, but I think it took tests and failures to discover the periodic table. So, there is nothing like failure in life. Failure is just an illusion designed to make people feel bad. Failure doesn’t exist. Failure is part of the process.

2.      Don’t quit too early

The obstacles we face are there to test our character not to stop us. Today, most people would applaud Thomas Edison for his light invention and discovery. But only few people spend time trying to understand what struggles and failures he went through before getting a break. He performed thousand failed experiments. Just think about that! Some people will call the thousand first failed attempts a failure, but I think it should be called preparation. Had he quit, he couldn’t have become the one to discover light, perhaps somebody else would have gotten that noble price, that accolade, that recognition, that praise.

·      Imagine if Steve jobs had quit, his inventions and ideas couldn’t have become a reality. We could not have apple today. We could not have IPhone, IMac, Mac etc.

·      Imagine if Henry Ford quit after all that happened to him, we could not have a ford car today.

·      Imagine if J.K.Rowling quit after being rejected by multiple publishers, we could not have Harry porter today.

·      Not to mention Charlie Chaplin, the greatest comedic mind of all time. Time won’t survive me to talk about his gruesome life. Throughout his adult life, he failed numerous times, yet he is today still the most famous comedian.

·      How can I forget Colonel Harland, who was rejected by 1009 restaurants after presenting his chicken recipe. He later got a break and had one of the best franchise on the planet, the KFC – known as Kentucky fried chicken.

·      Time won’t allow me to enumerate all the heroes of faith. Clearly we see the pathway to the top is filled with potholes.

3.      You are not defined by your past

As an axiom says, “the end justifies the means”, implying that we know people by what they are currently, not what they were in the past. Even God uses the same principle. It doesn’t matter how dark or red a sinner you are, if you come to Him in repentance, He forgives you and you appear before Him as though you have never sinned before. Today we applaud Bill gates because he is a success now. His past failures have been forgotten.

4.      Don’t be afraid to fail

Do not be afraid to fail. Fail big, it’s okay, it’s part of the process. With all the facts I have presented to you, it’s clear that failure is not as bad as it has been portrait. I will talk about failure until I have no reason to talk about it. Most people today, are afraid of doing things because they are scared, what if I fail, what will people say. So, don’t be afraid to fail.

Failure gave me an inner security that I have never attained by passing examinations. Failure told me things about myself that I could have learnt no other way. The knowledge that I have emerged wiser and stronger in the phase of these failures, means that I am ever secure in my ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself until you have been tested by adversity.

Such knowledge is a true gift, though it was painfully won. It is worth more than qualification one can earn.

Now given a platform to speak, I will tell my audience that your personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition of some sort. Your qualifications and your CV are not your life. Life is difficult and complicated beyond anyone’s total control. The humility to know that will enable you to survive it’s vicissitude.

I personally always defend the value of bad time stories to my last gasp despite their effects on me. This is a paradox of life. Life would indeed be boring if everything we needed was at our disposal and there was no challenges at all, and everyone born with a silver spoon in the mouth. The beauty of life is manifested in it’s complexity.

However, I don’t want to sound dark. With an hour speech on failure. I don’t wanna be called a bad influence. My hope for all of you is that you will face your challenges with courage, you will succeed and you will not quit. Don’t be afraid of trying. Don’t be afraid of challenges. Be afraid of not facing your fears and failures, be afraid of being a mean person whom after he has died will not be remembered. History only remembers special people. People who changed life's. As a bible student, you will discover that some of the bible characters are just mentioned and after the bible is silent about them. The reason being, their life’s were empty. They did nothing worthy of remembrance. Don’t be like such people.

Before I draw a curtain to my speech I want to talk about education. Education is important, however, it’s not just knowledge. Knowledge alone is useless in the the universe if it can’t be assisted with wisdom, it it’s not applied. Because knowledge is absolute. Knowledge can only be applied on an absolute scenario. Today, innovative as humans are, they have not been able to come up with a theory of everything. We have not been able to come up with an equation that could solve any mathematical problem. This implies our knowledge has limitations. That is why we keep changing syllabuses all the time, because the knowledge get outdated, get’s depreciated as knew discoveries comes up, as new, better and improved theories, knowledge is obtained. The question then becomes, what is education? Education is what remains after you have forgotten what you ever learnt in college. Education is changing life’s for better. I went to varsity to learn about the universe, and to apply that knowledge to change life's, touch other people’s life's. I believe with the the education I have, I have been given a responsibility over other people. I understand that from today, I have been accorded a privilege that some people do not have. I will use this prestigious status to stand for the helpless, raise my voice on behalf of those who can’t speak. Be an agent of change.

Today it feels good to be a scholar.

Thank you.