FJP
2013
Name:
Matthew “Matt” Alexander
Age:
20
Born
in: Cape Town, Western Cape
Studies
at: Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Studying:
Dip (Journalism)
Likes:
Mountain biking
Hates:
When people eat with their mouths open
Text
and pic by Unathi Nkumbi
Matthew Alexander is an only child born and bred in Cape Town in 1993. He was three months premature because his mother was fighting breast cancer and nearly died just three weeks after he was born. When he was eight, Matt’s mom fell pregnant again, with a girl this time but unfortunately miscarried.
The pregnancy was a good thing for Matt as he didn’t really like being an only child; but the chance of having a sibling was gone before he even experienced the feeling. In place of a sibling he has Captain, a dog he calls his brother.
Not
having siblings made Matt visit his gran, a lot too, as there were his cousins
and aunts, even if he had to leave home and go to the 3-room house and share it
with four others, instead of his parents’ much bigger house.
Matt’s best moment was when his dad cried on his 50thbirthday. He feels he got to see the old man’s soft side, since his father was busy with work and ended up neglecting his family for years. In Matt’s view his dad was more like the disciplinarian and had no real relationship with his son until his 50th birthday.
All
this made Matt close to his mom and to Captain. The visits to his gran grounded
him and gave him a sense of ubuntu and the relationship he now has with
his dad is getting better too.
No comments:
Post a Comment