Music Artists Remember Sejeso
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday July 26, 2021 13:25
He also said Sejeso was a mentor to many local musicians and an idol to his fans. He added that as difficult as the news of his passing was, they take solace that Sejoso leaves behind an incredible legacy. He said many local musicians were not yet born during the pinnacle of Sejeso’s career. Meanwhile, local Jazz music icon, Socca Moruakgomo revealed that Sejeso in the 1970s was part of a trio called InCrowds and played drums at the time. “While we were doing copyrights back then. these guys were coming up with ideas and introduced a lingo called Sekoyoyo. It was Sejeso, Joe Bole and Banjo Mosele. So the band carried on for few years and in 1979, myself and Bole joined the army, so InCrowds disbanded consequently.
Then came the band Afro Sunshine which was founded by Dennis Alexandra and Ricky Molefhe. Lekofi switched from drums to keyboard and never looked back,” Moruakgomo recalled. He further said Sejeso worked so hard to make himself better as a musician on the keys. Moruakgomo said they don’t know what went wrong with the Afro Sunshine band and as a result ,Sejeso worked with Kalahari for a short stint and returned to his home town of Lobatse. Moruakgomo said in 1993, he alongside the legendary guitarist John Selolwane went to Lobatse to bring back Lekofi back to the music industry. “He didn’t deserve to be in Lobatse and but rather deserved to do what he was good at in Gaborone. As time went on and bands disbanding, he founded another band called Just Friends.
I used to advise him to buy a house and few years later Sejeso built a big house in the suburbs of Block 8 in Gaborone. That house was a place for musicians and we used to rehearse there,” he revealed. He said he then worked with Sejeso at Re Batswana Music Ensemble under the guidance of the late Soares Katumbela and assistance of Lister Boleseng. “Sejeso lived his musical life in an honest way. Lately before he died, Sejeso called me and asked me to support him in his furniture business.
I bought a bench from him and now this bench is my memory of him,” he highlighted. Still on the matter, Shima Monageng on behalf of music promoters said Sejeso played piano in a way that set him apart from the rest. “I have known him over the years as a promoter and he was always a marvel to watch with his magical fingers on piano mesmerising jazz lovers during live concerts. Sejeso was an incredible music giant,” he said. For his part, a veteran musician who met Sejeso back in the 70s, Banjo Mosele revealed that he had been friends with Sejeso since 1974. “I got to know Sejeso in Lobatse during our secondary school days before we ventured into music.
We dropped out from music in 1974 and we formed the InCrowds band. Sejeso was so brilliant because he managed to tackle the drums without prior experience,” he said. He said they always composed their own music and language and they were the first youth to do proper business in the 70s. “The funniest part was when were in Maun. We had hired someone’s car and in Maun our equipment became faulty. We were stranded for two months in Maun and on our way back we decided to hop onto the back of a stranger’s car without their permission since we had no choice,” he recalled.