Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Art & Culture

Article: Ndingililo Gaoswediwe

Photos: Yobe Shonga

“…and many families continue to suffer the hostilities of poverty whilst hearing the voices of their fathers and mothers on radios and their faces on TVs and newspapers but having nothing to show for being descendants of such historians who wrote, sang and left the real cultural history and heritage for our country and the continent at large to have pride in it,” writes one Eugene Mthethwa in an article titled; Tell It Like It Is: An Open Letter to Jacob Zuma.

Eugene penned the letter after Simon ‘Mahlathini` Nkabinde, the mbaqanga singer of popular hits such as Lilizela Milizeli, Re a dumedisa and Mokete, passed on. Notwithstanding Mahlathini`s world acclaim with hits dating back to the 1960s, he traversed life in melancholy and poverty.

Botswana is not past the worst too. Under her skies, folklore artists die paupers. Contrary to their rich music their lives are not music to one`s ears. Theirs is a sound of relative despair were one to compare their lives to music.

“Ba kgona go nneela P400 ba recorder album ba bo ba rekisa. Ke setse ke itlhobogile le maano a mpheletse ka ebile ke sa tsena sekolo,” laments Kwata-e-shele who has not been able to put a roof over his head.

It was only last that Kwata-e-sehele would become someone and own some shelter after music promoter, Zenzele Hirschfield, felt touched by his pauper status and raised funds towards construction of a house. Fifty-three-year-old Kwata e Shele who appears older than his age, says he started singing and playing the guitar decades back after returning  home from the South African mines where he worked as a migrant labourer.

“Ga ke dire madi, ke letsa hela go sena dipoelo. Le fa ke ile go letsa kwa meletong kwa Gaborone ga ba ntuele, se ke se kgonneng fela mo botshelong jwame ke go reka katara,” explains Kwata-e-shele who wants to cut short the interview so that he takes a sip from a half cut plastic bottle filled with some traditional concoction.

Meanwhile, one of Kwataeshele contemporaries Sebongile Kgaila also shares the same story. His dress code and the despair in his eyes are enough to make you realize that Kgaila`s future is gloomy. He started playing the guitar and singing in 1981 after he watched a certain movie in Gabane. Instead of earning a living from his artistic talent, Kgaila explains that for years he has been employed as a herd boy.

 “Re tshelela mo lehumeng re bo re e swa re humanegile…re setse bo Andries Bok le bo Sam Raditsebe morago,” he adds and is quick attribute his failures to his illiteracy.

It takes a great deal of skill and a good command of the English language for one to break even in the music industry because one has to market their music and cut recording deals. In a seemingly desperate voice, Kgaila explains that one local gospel artist who recorded and sold his music and giving him nothing, deprived him of enjoying the fruits of his sweat. When he inquired about his share, the answer he got was that the money was used to cover recording expenses. Then he demanded for an audit but he was curtly to “go to hell.”

Born on the same year Botswana gained self-rule, Kgaila says until government sets up a studio to help less privileged artists, they will remain herd boys and die poor.

Principal performing arts officer under the Department of Arts and Culture, Lillian Thanke, explains that during the era of the likes of Ratsie Setlhako, folklore music was less appreciated.

“…back then, these artists performed at drinking spots and that is where they gained fame. Imagine when one operates from a shebeen, look at the audience, one`s lifestyle would beyond doubt revolve around such places,” she adds with a stern voice. 

However, Thanke is quick to point out that President`s Day Competitions continue to unearth raw talent from remote areas. Such competitions, she explains, are meant to preserve and revive indigenous music and instruments while at the same time serving as a platform for unrecognised but talented artists.

Because many of these artists are not formally educated, they are easy prey for fraudsters who claim to help them record and distribute their music. To curb such, Thanke says artists are sensitized on contracts procedures.

To avoid a situation similar to Mahlathini`s, the arts and culture department conducts workshops on behavioural change, marketing strategies, skills upgrading and has also partnered with Botswana Training Authority for accreditation of artists. The Folklore Music Association, which is still in its infancy stage, is expected to also help stem the situation. ENDS

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