Stika Sola at Poetavango

It’s slightly over twenty four hours before the long awaited poetry night at Riley’s Hotel, Maun, Botswana, by the Poetavango spoken Word Poetry collective. There will be many fresh names that never graced the Poetavango stage before. Some come from Kanye, Francistown and Gaborone. Also, there are some international performers from Canada and England. As though this will not be enough, the legendary folklore guitarist Stika Sola will also perform on the night. The award-winning Stika is surely one of the country’s early musicians with hits like Macapentara, Moruti, Katshire, Khubama and numerous others that still enjoy airplay in local radio stations.

Artists and Their Names

If there is something that never ceases to thrill me is the carefully chosen stage names that performance artists use. Every time before I can buy a ticket to a music or poetry show, I scan through the list of performers first. I look for those catchy, vibrant, snappy, enticing, sweet, rough, daring, unique, flamboyant, crazy names. They always amuse me. 

Back in 2003, I was a bassist in a backup band called Ambassadors in Johannesburg, South Africa. On this particular night, we were invited to perform in Melrose Arch, Rosebank, Johannesburg as back up band for a South African poet called Zwesh Fi Kush. The MC for the session was this very popular South African comedian called Ashifa Shabba. Every time he introduced a performer, he would marvel at the name. ‘Eish, artists and their names!’ he would say it so comically that the entire audience had no choice but to crackle in laughter. Shabba was certainly amused by the names of the performers. I wonder what he thought about his own!

Now, as we invited poets to the Unfolding the Scrolls: Chronicles of the Poets – Part 1 poetry show at the end of July, I was, again, thrilled by the names alone, before even seeing the artists perform. The first one was called Slash the Don, a heavyweight spoken word artist from Kanye . He has several other names, which I don’t remember right now. Then there were Quin B, Iddlehandz and Tongues. I haven’t met these artists yet but just from the names, I can tell a lot. 

A name really speaks volumes for an artist. There is always a story behind a performer’s name. And the story is always interesting, one way or another. When I meet these performers at the end of the month at Riley’s Hotel, I am going to find out the stories behind their names and I will share that with you. I will also dig into the names of our local poets. They do have interesting names; King Philosopher, Prophet Caribbean Weed, Mista Poke, T-Noise, Vygoras, etc.

Keep checking the space on the updates.

Teachers Have Always Been Essential!!!

The public workers strike in Botswana has just been paused, for a while they say. We are made to understand that this is done to give the unions a little time to digest and ingest what had been going on in the past eight weeks of the strike. Perhaps they can come up with a better and more effective strategy. Again, the strike had recently turned violent as protesters got fed up with the system and the fact that the government was totally giving them a blind eye and a rather cold shoulder. In an attempt to force attention from the officials, the protestors embarked on a radical revolution. Tires burned in streets, building got broken and the entire country smoked up. It was evidently a mark on the history pages of a country reputed to be the most peaceful in Africa.

Despite the turn of events, the government still remained resolute and did not move an inch. They stuck by their story of ‘there is no money and the country is in deficit’. The workers initially sought 16% increment, which was later cut down to 12%. All the government could offer was 3%. It is not surprising, at least to me, that whist negotiations were on, the IMF went behind the scenes and advised the country not to adjust the workers’ salaries. The IMF, an international illuminati organisation, cares a lot about a country’s financial and economic status. Yes, they do…  so long as all goes along with their ill intent and benefit them in the long run. It’s never about the troubled country. It’s always about them. 

So here we stand, frustrated from the eight weeks of strike. Striking teachers reported back to duty last week and since the employer has activated the ‘no work no pay,’ striking civil servants were not paid for the entire strike period. For the teachers, it has shown that it was not a wise move for the government at all. Teachers are not willing to cover the syllabi material that was supposed to have been done during the strike. Learners are way behind in their projects/syllabus and course work for final year students is adversely affected. A reflex response from students across the country is showing the authorities that students will not sit back and watch their future being messed around with. There’s pandemonium in senior schools as students burn vegetation, break windows and vandalise government property. What they want is simple; pay our teachers and let us be taught. It is also surprising that after the government has assured the general public that all is under control in schools, that temporary teachers have been engaged to cover up for striking ones, learners are still lagging behind. Nothing was ever in control and there were no temporary teachers. Propaganda has been the only tool by which the government misinformed the nation. Luckily, the ground situation got too big to be swept under the carpet. In every action there is a reaction and right now chickens are coming back home to roost.  

In a hurriedly thought move, the government just declared the teaching profession an essential service, without consultation with other stakeholders, of course. This will automatically prevent teachers from future strikes. The employer has come to painfully realise that when teachers are on strike, the repercussions are always heavily felt as it always boils down to the student. In this new chess move, the government has just launched war on public unions. They know that if they cripple the teachers, they would have wounded any strike to come to come in the future. The teaching service has a large percentage of public workers.

Let truth be known. When one talks of essential services, really, teachers have always been in that category – just that they were never acknowledged and appreciated for that. The teacher, basically, is the most essential of all workers. Even more than the nurse and the doctor. Why? Without a teacher, there isn’t any other profession- period.

Unfolding the Scrolls: Chronicles of the Poets - Part 1

The Poetavango poetry collective will be hosting the first poetry session since the massive International Poetry Festival 2011 in March at Maun Lodge. The session, dubbed ‘Unfolding the Scrolls: Chronicles of the Poets – Part 1’ will be hosted by Cresta Rileys Hotel, Maun on the 30^th July 2011 from 1800hrs until 2200hrs. Entrance fee will be P50.

A number of hardcore wordsmiths from the Poetavango group and beyond will be featured in this winter warming spoken word event. Check the Poetavango facebook page for more information. The website will soon publish all the necessary information. www.poetavango.com

Botswana Industrial Action: a month of revolution, still going on...

It’s a month since civil servants embarked on a national strike for a 16% wage increment. Even to date, the government has not promised anything positive to the workers, despite the late gruesome happenings in the country.  Botswana is currently going through a revolution never seen before in the history of the country. Due to violence in public schools, all primary and secondary schools have been ordered to an immediate closure until further notice. As to when schools will reopen, no one knows. Until someone knocks some sense into our leaders, this beautiful country will go down, down, down and deeper into a mess from which it won’t easily surface.

A Few Inspirational Quotes

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” - Malcolm X

 

“Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp-post how it feels about dogs.” - Christopher Hampton

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage” - Maya Angelou

“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“Words need to be crafted, not sprayed. They need to be fitted together with infinite care.” - Norman Cousins

“A reading man and woman is a ready man and woman, but a writing man and woman is exact." - Marcus Garvey

“Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.” - Che Guevara

 

“What I like in a good author isn't what he says, but what he whispers.” - Logan Pearsall Smith

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela

“My alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” - Malcolm X

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -  Anton Chekhov

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” - Nelson Mandela

“It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they are going to write"- Sinclair Lewis

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.” - Marcus Garvey 

“You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway.” - Steve Biko

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass” - Maya Angelou

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” – Nelson Mandela 

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.” - Maya Angelou

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”  - Nelson Mandela

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.” - Richard Bach.

 

 “A writer and nothing else: a man alone in a room with the English language, trying to get human feelings right.” - John K. Hutchens

Poetic Meditations (Poetry Album/CD)

Poetic Meditations
coming soon!

The 14 tracks poetry album that I have been working on since December 2008 is about to be released. The studio work was completed in January 2011. Yes, it took an entire two years working on this project! Quality and absolute satisfaction is guaranteed. The album was recorded live, mixed and mastered at Live Wire Studios in Ramotswa, Botswana. 

Those who previewed the album don’t believe it when I tell them that the work is a Botswana product. From the first track to the last, Poetic Meditations will keep you on your toes. Themes of poems vary from social issues to political subjects to relationships and matters of the heart. It’s a package that I’m sure will make a historical mark not only in the poetry area but in the global music industry. All poems are backed with soothing music that enhances the mood of the poem and helps the listener digest and ingest the poem. Music spans across genres, but it is mostly a blend jazz and soul. You will also enjoy the backing vocals by Rose, an upcoming Jazz songstress. She is currently a backup vocalist for Shanty Lo and she is super hot!  I should also acknowledge the prominent players of instruments in this album. Without the help of Stream Jazz Band, this album would be nowhere near what it is now. Even through their busy schedule as they toured the country with the South African legend Johnny Mokhali and numerous other very important and highly successful musicians, they made time for me and helped me create Poetic Meditations.God bless you, guys. I cannot, of course, forget to pass my gratitude to Chantty Killarh of Wired Productions and Live Wire Studios. This gentleman produced this album with patience, endurance and lot of dedication. Keep the fire burning, brother.

Poetry albums are rare in our country. I only know of two poets who have recently released their albums, Andreattah Chuma and Berry Heart.  Very beautiful albums which should be every poetry lover’s collection. I only have Drea's and I'm awaiting the launch of Berry Heart's album in a couple of months. These poets also did a wonderful performance at the Maun International Poetry Festival 2011.

So, as my album is about to hit the shelves in July/August 2011, I say to all those who love Dredd X poems that this package will have all your favourites. Here is the tracklist;

1.       I Want To Write (Intro)

2.       The First Time I Saw You

3.       Raindrops

4.       Rewrite The History

5.       What Happens When…

6.       Where Were They?

7.       Untitled and Unfinished

8.       Womankind

9.       Sorry For The Story

10.   Do You Dig You Pig?

11.   The X In Your Name

12.   While My Pen Sorrowfully Bleeds

13.   The Value of X

14.   Womankind – Reggae Version Feat. Chantty Killarh (Bonus Track)

Please, people, let us support local talent and stop illegal duplication of our products. Lets stop bo nraetela le ntsenyetsa mo sticking.