Author Kamogelo Masoga used her own experience growing up without a father to write the novel 'The Bastard Child'. This book is dedicated to exploring themes of parental abandonment, rejection, and the difficult path to healing.
Masoga, 28 years old and from the village of Mmotwangen in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, shared that creating the book allowed her to face the painful chapter of her life and reflect on the experiences of children who grow up without one or both parents.
She shared that the novel was inspired by her personal story, as she grew up without a father and long yearned for his love. Masoga recalls how she searched for him, but when she met him, he showed no remorse for abandoning her or joy at the reunion.
Masoga explained that she carried this pain for a long time until she accepted the truth that he would never be the father she needed, and that she would have to forgive him without any apologies from his side. She sees many children going through similar experiences and feels sorrow for them.
Masoga's experience formed the basis of Keith's story, a child rejected by both mother and father. Keith finds a sense of belonging under his grandmother's care. However, the grandmother's death forces him to confront the pain of losing the person who provided the love and stability absent in his relationship with his parents.
Through Keith's story, Masoga aims to highlight the consequences of parental decisions and the emotional burden placed on children forced to contemplate the choice of an absent parent. She noted that parents often were not honest with children about the reasons for another parent's absence, leaving them with unresolved questions about family status.
Masoga stated that she wanted to show people that sometimes children suffer because of their parents' actions, and that many parents do not tell the truth about why another parent decided not to participate in the child's life. She is convinced that both men and women should think about their decisions and the possible consequences for children.
For the author, resolving the issue of parental abandonment also requires families and communities to hold those responsible accountable, rather than allowing personal relationships to impede this process. She believes that people sometimes remain silent out of fear of damaging family ties or losing benefits from them.
Masoga believes that we cannot hold these people accountable because they are close to us. This may be related to the fear of ruining relationships or ceasing to benefit from them.
Keith's grandmother plays a central role in the narrative. By becoming his primary caregiver, she provides the parental support he does not receive elsewhere, illustrating how grandmothers often take on responsibilities usually held by a child's mother and father. Masoga explains that Keith's dependence on his grandmother also explains why her death had such a devastating impact on him.
She asserts that the grandmother plays a significant role in his life because she became a mother and father figure to him. That is why, when she died, Keith found himself in the most difficult situation, and he finally felt the pain of abandonment.
In her opinion, his experience reflects the situation of many children whose grandmothers raise them while their parents are away. She notes that his story shows how many grandmothers raise grandchildren while parents are busy with their lives, and that many adults today would prefer their grandmothers to be their real parents.
Masoga hopes that the novel will encourage readers who have experienced similar rejection to work towards healing and not let their childhood experiences dictate what kind of parents they will become. She wishes those who have experienced rejection to learn to forgive, heal, and move forward to become better parents for their own children.
Furthermore, she calls on absent parents to acknowledge the consequences of their actions and take responsibility for repairing damaged relationships. She addresses those parents who abandoned their children, wishing that they see the damage caused and return to fix everything.
Masoga thanks Zeeks Mdy and John Carney's play 'Nothing but the Truth' for helping her realize her passion for storytelling. She initially wanted to be an actress, so she read many books, but one day realized that what interested her was not so much acting, but the art of storytelling itself.
After reading this book, she began inventing stories in her mind and then writing them down in a notebook, and it was then that she started following this passion as a ninth-grade student.