“I have always loved art, long before I ever understood its power,” says Goabaone Mogwe, reflecting on the creative roots that have shaped his journey. A software engineer by training and an artist at heart, Mogwe traces his earliest memories of drawing back to Form 2. Even then, he dreamed of becoming an animator.
“I was a kid who doodled through math class, who saw the world in shapes, shadows, and exaggerated noses,” he told this publication with a smile. His love for drawing often got him in trouble. A friend once reminded him of a time in Standard 4 when he was punished for sketching a cartoon illustration of a teacher during class.
Mogwe admits he didn’t fully understand what those drawings meant back then. “I constantly drew a side profile of a man with a very big nose,” he recalls. “Maybe that’s why I still enjoy comic illustrations today.”
The turning point in his creative journey came in 2019 during the first Steve Harvey youth sessions in Botswana. It was there that Mogwe began to reimagine the possibilities of his passion.
“Steve Harvey spoke about how BTV is an incredible platform that we don’t fully utilize because we don’t understand its value,” he says. “That stuck with me. I thought, what if I created an anime show and sold it to BTV?”
That idea planted the seed for something bigger.
At the time, Mogwe had been working in software engineering for seven years but felt unfulfilled. He decided to pivot and commit fully to art. He re-taught himself how to draw—this time with a professional mindset.
“I wanted to become a storyteller through art,” he told this publication. “And also be able to draw original illustrations for my primary school learning software.”
For nearly a year, he drew almost every day, sharpening his fundamentals with intense focus.
By 2023, Mogwe felt ready. With both his art and technical skills refined, he returned to the software project he had long envisioned: Ithute, a learning platform for primary schools that combines self-assessments, comic books, and animated tutorials to support literacy, vocabulary, and language development.
“With Ithute, I’m finally able to blend my software and art skills in one product,” he says. “One of my best mates in tech kept encouraging me to go back and finish what I started. That push made all the difference.”
His background in software engineering gives him a competitive edge.
“It allows me to quickly learn new programs and adapt to all stages of animation and comic production—even if the team I’m working with uses different tools,” he says.
For example, Mogwe is currently working on an international project for a French client alongside a South African team.
“I can draw in my own software, export in the right formats, and design assets that seamlessly integrate with their tools—all without friction.”
At the same time, his artistic sensibility shapes how he writes code.
“As a full stack developer, I take pride in building software that doesn’t just work—it looks and feels good,” he says. “I care about visual appeal, layout, flow.”
For Mogwe, the line between software and storytelling is blurred—and he prefers it that way.
Beyond his personal projects, Mogwe runs a storytelling and art program for primary school learners in Old Naledi. There, he teaches children to create stories through drawing and imagination. The initiative is supported by Bank Gaborone, which provides paint supplies and snacks, and Kalahari Art Supplies, which contributes essential tools like pencils and erasers.
“It means everything to me to be able to pass this knowledge on and create a space where kids feel seen and inspired,” he says.
His impact extends far beyond the classroom.
Mogwe is a Comic Con Fellow and a regular panelist and exhibitor at Comic Con Africa—which draws more than 80,000 attendees annually—as well as Comic Con Cape Town. At both events, he showcases his work and contributes to industry conversations around comics and creativity on the continent.
From classrooms in Old Naledi to panels at Comic Con, Mogwe is shaping a new kind of African storytelling—one built on code, creativity, culture, and conviction.
