Monnamogolo wa Thulaganyo: The man behind Thoma ka Serethe dance craze
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday March 26, 2024 06:00
Hailing from Serowe, Kgomotsego Bareetsi, said he has been in the local music industry since 2015. He started his music career singing traditional music. Bareetsi told Showtime that even though he was not famous over the past years, he released songs such as Somola Tsenya, Kgarebe se mo Neele and Lepiano la Botswana.
Monnamogolo wa Thulaganyo, who has now been given a nickname, Thoma ka Serethe after the song, has said even though he released the song in November last year, he never dreamt that it would make him so popular. The song has sparked some hilarious dance challenges on social media including in neighbouring South Africa with some struggling to adhere to the simple instructions from the song. “We were still dancing it at my home village. We posted it on Facebook after dancing at a wedding recently. We got positive feedback from the public so I had faith that it was going to make it big.
Our young influencers in the likes of Pako Mosweu asked me to permit them to share it on their various social media platforms. I was surprised when I woke up and saw my song trending.
When God opens doors, no one can do anything about it. I guess it is my time to be known in the industry,” he proudly said. He further explained that Thoma ka Serethe was folklore inspired by the old men who use traditional guitars. He said he grew up listening to them and fell in love with their kind of music and the way they were so passionate when playing their guitars. He therefore decided to infuse ‘Setswana’ guitar into modern music.
However, he said even though many Batswana do not appreciate local music, a lot of people outside the country love it. He said the instruments, vocals and dance make local music unique and appealing. Monnamogolo wa Thulaganyo has been a busy man since his song got viral. H said he can never thank God enough for opening doors for him. “When I sing this song outside the country, everyone stops and listens to the rhythm and flow of the words. When I say Thoma ka serethe, abo o dikologa, a bo o ema, they will know where next to put their heels. A bo o dikologa (then turn around) they know that they can turn around to a certain point.
That is life setup. It is similar to starting a fat cake business.
You will start small but as time goes on you will know when to cook more fat cakes to sell. A bo o ema symbolises that in life you have to take a break and think of a way forward when going through difficult situations,” he added. Monnamogolo wa Thulaganyo further thanked local artists for their immense support. He said one of local comedians, Ephraim Basha is one of his top fans who never miss a day without posting his video. He urged the public to buy his album and hear more of his songs from the album. He said there were many more good beautiful songs in the album. He advised fellow artists to never give up their dreams as they can never know when their blessings will come.