My name is Moagabo Ragoasha, a PhD in Physical Oceanography. I am originally from a village called Ga-Rampheri, where I did my primary (Rampheri Primary school) and secondary (St Bede's High school) schools. After completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Ocean and Atmosphere Science, she went on to earn her Honours and Masters in Ocean and Atmosphere Science (UCT). Her PhD in physical oceanography was co-badged between the University of Cape Town and The University of Western Brittany (Université de Bretagne Occidentale, UBO), which resulted in Dr Ragoasha spending 50% of her study years working at UBO under the mentorship of France's top ocean modellers. After her PhD, she did one year of postdoctoral research at UCT and the SAEON Egagasini Node before being appointed lecturer in the Department of Oceanography. Dr Ragoasha has been recognized by the 2020 Mail & Guardian as a Top 200 Young South African in the Science and Technology category. She is currently an nGAP lecturer at the Department of Oceanography.
I opted for the Science stream subjects (Mathematics, Physical Science, Geography, Life Sciences). I chose science because of my inquisitiveness; I was always fascinated by our planet, and I wanted to learn how it works.
I am a lecturer at the Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town.
My advice to anyone considering taking the academic career path is that a career in academia is highly challenging and interesting, therefore one must be inquisitive and work hard. A PhD qualification is a requirement for a career in academia, especially in science. You must have a passion for research and teaching.
Pursuing PhD studies is a serious commitment that needs to be taken with great understanding. The pros of studying one are that you can gain analytical skills, it toughens a person from all the grilling, criticizing, and second-guessing one endures. In addition, you get to contribute new knowledge in your field of study, and you become a specialist in your field. The consequences are that a PhD journey is a very lonely one, you might struggle to find a job outside research or academia because you are deemed overqualified and under-experienced, by the time you are done your friends will be further ahead in their career, you can even end up losing relationships because it requires both physical and mental commitment/attention. The most difficult one to grapple with is the mental challenges (excessive stress and frustration) one face during the PhD journey.
My spiritual journey has started in August 2020 when I found out that I have a spiritual gift. Initially, it came as a shock but having knowledge that we once had a traditional healer (my great-great-grandfather) and the dreams that I used to have, it somewhat made sense. I found out that I had to go and twasa (initiated) for it. This was not easy because I work in Cape Town which is far from home. I eventually found a trainer ('gobela') to facilitate my training. This, however, came with problems as they are some trainers who are scammers out there. I started my training in June 2021 and finished in November 2021---then I was taken home in December 2021.
The spiritual journey was not an easy one, it is one that was both humbling and challenging. I was busy with my research work, which suffered. I had to move into the gobela's house with sets of rules to follow, this one was the hardest. I found myself in a stressful situation that I never thought I would ever be in. Waking up at 12 am and 3 am to pray and gida ('divination through drum beating and dancing) had a huge impact on my work because I found myself constantly tired due to lack of sleep, which had a huge impact on my work productivity. I eventually had to ask for leave from work towards the end as I was not coping to balance everything. It felt like I was cut-off from the world, I couldn't go out to see my friends and family. I also had to wear the sangoma cloths and beads to work. However, I was lucky to have supportive family, friends, and colleagues.
It is true that there are still people who believe that spirituality is archaic and some even demonic. However, there has been a huge shift in people's beliefs and open-mindedness. They are more open to understanding and the fact that the practice is no longer taboo (less secretive or shameful), makes it easier for the one who is called to accept their calling. In this regard, I have not seen any changes in the way the people around me interact with me. Most people are more respective than before given the fact I am now a "Gogo", but some struggle to understand that I am not the same person as before.
African spirituality is part of our DNA as Africans, it is something that we can shun away from. Please educate yourself on what African spirituality is and what isn't. I always find that there is a lot of misconceptions out there, I also used to be ignorant about it due to lack of knowledge. When you find out that you have a spiritual gift, take time to understand what it means, to know what you are called for and who is calling you. Please be careful of scammers out there because they are many.
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