Kutlwano Magazine

Fitting tribute

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Ndingililo Gaoswediwe

Location : FRANCISTOWN

Event : Interview

Suddenly there is somnolence in his face. Fatigue seems to have weakened his facial muscles to keep his eyes open. Like a baby he quietly slips into dreamland.

The alarm clock by his bedside is set to buzz just a few minutes before midnight. Unfortunately, he is awake just two hours before time. He grabs his cellphone and there on the screen appears “44 missed calls”.

Ndingo Johwa, who is scheduled to perform at the contemporary legends festival at 3:45am at Boipuso Hall, decides to read Kapenda`s (guitarist) SMS first.

“The vice president wants you to perform now before he goes to sleep,” reads the SMS. It sounds like a command but who would refuse such an honour!

Like a soldier following commands, a few minutes later the baritone voice musician is rolling on stage, driving the audience crazy with four acts; Uwe Uwe, Pankaka, Domboshaba and Tshwene!

Then it`s over but not until Vice President Ponatshego Kedikilwe walks away feeling gratified while Ndingo, for the first time in months, feels honoured and appreciated. This is his first “white dove release event” because it provides a memorable moment he will cherish for a lifetime.

Overwhelmed by excitement and the respect he just got, his wounded spirit is all of a sudden healed, not by God but by the man who occupies the second highest office in the land.

“There were nasty incidents that for months made me very unhappy and the appreciation and respect I got from VP erased everything that I felt I truly deserved respect like an icon,” the humble Ndingo tells Kutlwano.

In a dog eat dog music industry, it is hard to always stay afloat and sometimes one finds themselves fallen on hard ground.

However, for the 64-year-old father of three he says like wine, the older he gets, the sweater his music becomes.

Truly so and for an icon like him there is nothing as fulfilling as leaving behind a lasting legacy…“ndi be nda be pioneer, ndi zana njimbo dzangu ndi se nga polotike, ndi se nga lingile bathu pase, ndi mba ne Ikalanga ndi milidza Botswana,” he reckons literally meaning that he wants to be a creative artist whose music is not politically motivated let alone demeaning to others. Rather, his focus is on raising the country`s flag higher using Ikalanga language.

No wonder in the streets he is nicknamed Oliver Mtukuzi. Ndingo is doubt very popular. So is his music. A photo-shoot which could have lasted just an hour went on and on just to compensate for time lost while his fans clamoured to have a piece of him.

We had thought by going atop Nyangabwe Hill in Francistown we would have avoided the crazy fans but there was no how we could dodge them. Like sniffer dogs they seemed to follow him wherever we tried to hide!

In fact the mistake we made was to have an interview with him over coffee in the heart of Francistown. That did not help the situation as more people wanted to shake hands with him even in the middle of the interview. In short, Ndingo is a people`s person.

Since he sings in his native language, Ndingo who released his first album in 2000, says initially many Batswana thought his music was promoting tribalism.

Despite the perceptions, he never looked back in his quest to live his dream. Thus, his music would soon transcend those tribal stereotypes, recoding a tremendous growth after a huge number of people suddenly realised there was nothing tribalistic or implied.

“Njimbo ha dzina nngathu ndizo bathu ba ka fanila amuchila… (music transcends boundaries, therefore, people should embrace different languages.)”

Generally, the Ikajazz legend says Botswana will by 2016 have made a huge stride in the music industry. The industry, he says, started showing some growth in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, thereby reducing Batswana`s heavy reliance on the South African industry.

A wave of change swept across the country during the second millennium, resulting in the mushrooming of groups and upping the game in traditional music as well as the birth of quality products.

And when his lifespan clock finally times out, Ndingo will not leave a sad man as he remains optimistic that one of his ten grandchildren will continue the journey after she fell in love with music at a tender age.

“Apparently, I performed with six-year old Changu Johwa in one of the shows and she sang very well.”

Because each member of the family needs the same portion of love like Changu, Ndingo, who stays at Marobela Village in the Central District, never misses to spare some time for his wife, children and grandchildren.

To strike a balance, Ndingo has a scheduled lineup and performs mostly in corporate shows. At the moment, he is preoccupied with shooting videos while a new album will hit the shelves this December. ENDS