WATCH: Pomona youngster (10) wins R20 000 in drawing competition
That’s a lot of zeros for the youngsters, who said she only receives R20-pocket money every Friday.
One is likely to find budding artist Amogelang Marota (10) from Pomona seated at her parents’ dining room table, with a rainbow of pencils and crayons lined up neatly next to her.
“Ever since I was little, I loved to colour in,” the Arbor Primary learner shared with Express.
Art teacher Cheri Burrows recognised Amogelang’s talents and encouraged the hard-working learner to enter the Liberty Life Colouring Competition.
Amo, as she is called by her friends, first won R300 for the best drawing in her school. She then won R3 000 at provincial level, which came as a big surprise to her. “I never thought I’d win that kind of money for doing something I love.”
Imagine her surprise when she won the national competition, with the big prize of R20 000. That’s a lot of zeros for the youngsters, who said she only received R20 pocket money every Friday.
Despite the multitude of art supplies or books (she’s also an avid reader) Amogelang can buy with her new-found treasure, she plans to give R10 000 to charity and save the rest for when she’s older.
“There are many people suffering out there, so I think I should rather help them,” she explained.
The drawing that saw to the young artist’s success was titled “When I grow up I want to be a…”, and shows a much older Amogelang seated at a desk with a typewriter, working on her biography.
“When I grow up I want to be an author of children’s books,” she said, “because writers are clever and get to find out more information about things.”
Amogelang hopes to enter more drawing competitions in the near future. “Work very hard,” was her advice to other creatives who hope to achieve what she has.
