Q & A with Jackie Phamotse, author of Bare_The Blesser’s Game

 From blessee to entrepreneur

J

ackie Phamotse has experienced the trauma of gang-raping at age 17, homeless and abuse. At only 29-years of age, she is the author of the best selling autobiographical novel, Bare_The Blesser’s Game, which exposes young women to the realities of the blessee lifestyle often glamorised. Jackie became a success against the odds, she is currently a businesswoman, motivational speaker and brand strategist for MoFaya. She is currently traveling across the continent launching her book and despite her tight schedule we managed to have a quick interview with her.

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  What is the inspiration behind your book?

I started working on Bare the blesser’s game in 2014 after realizing I was dealing with a lot of unresolved personal issues and my standing in the society which prompted me to share my experience with those seeking my assistance. We are raised and taught to regard our parents as our seniors where we cannot confide in them when faced with challenges. It was imperative that I communicate my teenage struggles as I entered adulthood. Writing served as my way out because I found it difficult sharing my mental struggles with friends. While writing and conducting research on the issue of sugar daddies and human trafficking, I came to realize that lots of girls around the globe were struggling with similar issues.  

Sex trafficking or slavery is the exploitation of women and children, within national or across international borders, for the purposes of forced sex work. Commercial sexual exploitation includes pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking of women and girls, and is characterized by the exploitation of a human being in exchange for goods or money. Each year, an estimated 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders—though additional numbers of women and girls are trafficked within countries. 

Fact is, some of this human trade is highly visible, an example is prostitution. However, a lot of trafficking victims remain unseen, operating out of unmarked brothels in unsuspecting and sometimes suburban neighborhoods. Human trafficking victims may also operate in public and private locations such as massage parlours and strip clubs.

Adult women make up the largest group of sex trafficking victims, followed by girl children, while a small percentage of men and boys are trafficked into the sex industry as well. 

Human trafficking migration patterns tend to flow from East to West, but women may be trafficked from any country to another at any given time and trafficking victims exist everywhere. The poorest and most unstable countries have the highest incidences of human trafficking, with poverty being a common bond among trafficking victims. Where economic alternatives do not exist, women and girls are more vulnerable to being tricked and coerced into sexual servitude.

 Increased unemployment and high unemployment levels have undermined women's incomes and their economic position. A stalled gender wage gap, as well as an increase in women's part-time and informal sector work, push women into low paying jobs and hidden unemployment, which leaves women vulnerable to sex traffickers. Social media sex work has increased over the last 3 years and women now find it easy to trade themselves online for material goods, lavish lifestyles, overseas trips and swanky apartments. In some cases, sugar daddies supplement their tertiary fees and force them into various sex cults. In my book, I share a story that many people in the world relate too.

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  What is the objective of your book?

BARE, is social lifestyle educational novel.

It educates as well as informs young people of the dangers of sugar daddies while also shedding light on this dangerous phenomenon. I wanted to open doors to conversations that many fear to tap into.

Organized crime is largely responsible for the spread of international human trafficking and sugar daddy relationships are the biggest trend that increases cases of human trafficking. Sex trafficking—along with its correlative elements, kidnapping, rape, prostitution and physical abuse—is illegal in nearly every country. However, widespread corruption and greed make it possible for sex trafficking to quickly and easily proliferate. Though national and international institutions may attempt to regulate and enforce anti-trafficking legislation, local governments and police forces may, in fact, be participating in sex trafficking rings.

·         How has your life changed after releasing the book?

Apart from death threats and people stopping me for pictures and sharing their stories with me, my life is truly very simple. I started my career as a model and that on its own placed me in the spotlight. So, becoming a self-published bestselling author has given me opportunities that many fail to attain. I recently launched BARE in Swaziland and did a documentary with BBC Africa in Kenya, it has been an amazing journey.

My focus is on women education and empowerment and I am launching my foundation end of June ( SAVE A TREASUER FOUNDATION ) I am also a motivational speaker so I use the book to share insights on how we can solve social ills in Africa. I am also busy writing the next 3 books which will be released in 2019-2020.

·   What was your hardest scene to write, and why?

BARE is extremely detailed and graphics, however, the hardest must have been the rape scene in chapter 14 and my mother being kicked out of her home. Those parts took me a very long time to overcome and complete. Even after I had printed the book I can’t read those chapters. Being gang raped is a heavy mental process and it affects you for years, so going back and writing about was truly difficult. It opened old wounds. The chapters about my family foundation were tricky to write too as it exposed a lot of family secrets and my siblings were not ready for what I had to share with the world.

·       How long did it the take you to gather up the courage to write the book?

3 years.

          The way your book ends raises a lot of questions, are you planning to write part two?

Yes, there is a sequel titled BARE the doors of the hockey club.

·    Towards the end of your book, you mentioned a couple of women who died in the name of love. The number of violence against women has escalated, what’s your take on that?

It's horrific that every day a woman is killed by a lover, we need to educate our men and find better solutions to abusive men. What is scarier is that women die just after they leave abusive men, which means the biological strength of men is poor.

         What advice can you give to young women who feel like dating blessers is the “it” thing or is the only option for them to get out of poverty or any circumstance?

Work to achieve your own dreams because no amount of money will increase your personal value. Education opens a chain of sustainable opportunities that money can’t give you. Just believe in your own self-value and dreams.

·    By looking at social media, your book hit a lot of nerves, some positive others negative. How do you deal with haters?

I don’t entertain such at all. It has no effect on me.

The ex-blessee bares it all in her book, purchase yourself a copy on her website www.jackiephamotse.com and in all bookstores including Exclusive Books, Bargain books, Take a Lot.com and University Bookshops including Compubooks.

Jackie Phamotse has been recognised for contribution to literature in Africa by the African Icon Awards in Lagos, Nigeria and will accept the award for Literary Icon of the Year for 2018

Photo Credit: Instagram