Film producers keep an eye on their products

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Tuesday August 7, 2007 00:00

From time to time, Baitshephi Kennekae, the lithe and dark skinned lass from Palapye, gets up and walks about addressing passers-by in a shrill voice: 'I am selling DVDs. It is only P50.'

Simultaneously, she waves two DVDs encased in two blue, black and white sleeves.
Once in a while, one or two pause to either fork out the required P50 and walk away with the DVD, or ask for a further explanation or make a comment.

One of the comments she has come to endure is from those of people saying: 'Thaka! Gatwe fifiti. Ke tlaa e reka ka P20 ko Machaeneng,' (Haa! P50 is too much, I am going to get it from a Chinese shop for only P20).

Or, someone else would tell her straight forward: 'Do not worry. I will get it for P10 from the Chinese shop.'

Meanwhile, curious onlookers congregate around an old-fashioned black 54cm television set by her side hoisted on a table with flickering pictures of people darting hither and thither, conversing in the vernacular.

The onlookers, who had initially come for a quick glance, become hugely engrossed in the story on the television. It also dawns on them that the story is a phenomenon that has come to bedevil the community they live in - con artists swindling unsuspecting victims of their hard earned cash.

Kennekae looks hopefully at me as I approach. 'I am selling DVDs. Ke fifiti pulanyana fela,' (It's a mere P50 only).

Looking at the level of interest the films are garnering, I introduce myself as a journalist and get about asking her why; the DVD goes for only P50 and not more. She tells me the present price is for promotional purposes.

It also dawns on me that Kennekae, is not only one of the actors in the films, but a producer with the Palapye-based Baboneng Film Production and Entertainment.

Kennekae reveals that since last year, they have produced six films. The seventh one was due for release yesterday (Monday). The films are tackling the problem of con artists who have been swindling people of their hard-earned cash.

Her face registers instant anger when asked if they are worried about pirating, especially since it is so prevalent in Francistown.

'We are keeping a hawk's eye on our products. From time to time, we have retrieved our DVDs from shops run by Chinese. We did that in Gaborone.

We have tried to check things clandestinely in Francistown. We have not found a shop selling a counterfeit of any of our DVDs,' she says.

'Batswana have got to be conscientised that pirating is crippling our industry. There has to come a time when instead of simply buying these counterfeit products cheaply, they should call us and report these pirates,' she adds.

Kennekae, declines to comment further on the problem of pirating. But Kesebonye Seabelo, the scriptwriter and director says they are tackling the issue.

'I am from the Registrar of Companies right now, and we have been told it is our responsibility to see that we fight pirating. However, it is good that at least, the Copyright Act is now fully in force. Very soon some people are going to have to pay for reaping where they have not sown,' he says.

The Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, which has been in force since last October, stipulates a penalty of P20, 000 for first time offenders or an imprisonment of a term not exceeding 10 years or both.

Repeat offenders are to be locked up for over 10 years and fined from P30, 000 to P5million. Why not lock them up and throw the keys away?