Young stars need counselling to survive hostile environment

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday February 5, 2009 00:00

 

As they (children) grow older, with their horizons widen, they also find themselves having a big learning environment. They no longer have only their mother and father to learn from, as the social environment grows bigger, including neighbours and other people they interact with. Some of the influence they get may be good whilst in some cases it might be destructive. A lot of young artists and young celebrities in general fall prey to bad influence and end up drifting in the lane of moral decadence. They would heavily drink alcohol, have illicit sexual relationships like the now popular 'one night stands' and take illegal drugs. There are a lot of examples in South Africa where gospel sensation Lundi Tymara was reported in the media to have changed from a God-fearing youngster to an alcoholic and as the story continues to unfold, a social deviant who crossed over the sexual divide to become a homosexual. His other countryman and soccer star Jabu Pule's drug and alcohol abuse behaviour was also well-documented by the media. Back home, Vusi Mtokafa, who incidentally looks up to Tymara as a role model, is another example of a young artist who slipped over to engage in deviant behaviour like taking drugs and alcohol whilst a youngster.

What exactly is the cause of this strong pull towards deviant behaviour by young people in the limelight?

Seasoned music promoter and manager, Mogomotsi Gaolape, says that a lot of factors come into play when it comes to the deviance that is taking over the lives of some young artists. He admits that as a manager it is difficult to control an artist, especially at nightclubs or wherever they might be performing at night. The environment itself is busy; alcohol is readily available, crowded with fans, 'some of whom are even ready to do anything with the artist.  Artists would want to take advantage of this. But with Franco's band it was quite different. His is the most disciplined band in the country. He made sure that the artists, especially the young, stayed in the combi until they went on stage to perform then they would go back to the combi, where we will take them to their homes,' he said.

The problem with other musical groups and their leaders, he said, is that they are reckless and fail to be exemplary to the young artists who look up to them as mentors.

Managers and promoters should treat the music industry as a business and should ensure that whilst on a trip or at a venue where artists would be performing a strict code of discipline is observed. He is against drinking whilst on duty, by managers, because 'they give these artists the idea that drinking is fashionable'.

To underscore his point, of a bad habit that was picked up by a young artist from a mentor, he mentions a well-known big name in the music industry. According to Gaolape, a young upcoming artist followed this known musical figure in an effort to hone his music skills and to be introduced to music lovers. Unfortunately, he relates, whilst trying to glean the skills from his mentor, he also picked up the bad habits that saw him rise up like the proverbial tragic character, hogging the limelight only to sink into oblivion. The last he was heard of, he was said to be failing at his studies.

'This artist moves in large group with both bandmates and groupies. They would go to a show playing loud music, drinking alcohol and smoking in front of the young ones. One time, he bought 10 cases of beer, which they drank on a trip to some village where they were billed to perform,' he reveals.

He says that the young artist who also used to travel with Franco's band, would complain that Franco was too strict and 'felt that we were a boring group. He is already used to this bad behaviour. It is bad right now because after destroying the promising artist's musical career, by introducing him to beer, girls and drugs, the mentor dropped him,' he says.

Gaolape admits that music managers and promoters might have their own vices like doing drugs and imbibing on alcoholic beverages and casual sexual relationships with multiple partners, but at least one should not engage in this behaviour before the eyes of young people whom he or she might badly influence.

'As a leader, you should not be seen sneaking into a lodge with a girl and later be seen flirting with another. This happens, but it is not good for the young artists,' he says.

Mother of Thabang Oanthata alias Stompi, arguably the most popular and youngest artist, Gina Oanthata says that she has always been strict with her child. The 13-year-old, according to Oanthata, is a Form One student at a Gaborone secondary school and as such is under age to drink alcohol or even engage in sex. She says that she leads an exemplary life for her child and does not drink nor even smoke. Whenever they are performing at a show, Stompi and his dancers who are about his age are not allowed to mingle with the crowd until they go on stage. They just stay put in their car to avoid a situation where they would be exposed to bad influences like drinking alcohol. Being a mother of a 13-year-old popular musician is not without its challenges, even if he is as well behaved and respecting as Stompi, she reveals. Most of the time, both at shows and home, she is parrying incessant groupies who want to have more than just Stompi's good music.
'Most of the time I would receive a text message from a girl saying she wants to be Stompi's lover. Others even call.
This other time a very old woman called to say that she wants to be lovers with my child. They just get the number from the CD sleeves with Stompi's on it,' she says, adding that she does not allow the artist to carry a cellular phone as he is too young.
She remembers this other time when a 14-year-old girl called to tell Stompi that she would like to be his sweetheart.
'Ke a bona ke bana ba ba ha ba di-surbarb. When I called back to scold her, her mother picked the phone and said I should give the kids an opportunity to start their love. I was so shocked, but I told her my child was still too young for that nonsense,' she says. Popular comedian and social worker Joel Keitumele, says young artists are grappling with a difficult social environment. They start from humble beginnings, but become stars who make as much as P10, 000. He feels they need counselling so that they can cope with the transformation. Keitumele, who was once parried accusations that he influenced Mtokafa to drink alcohol and engage in sexual escapades, says that in his mentoring of Mtokafa he never had any challenges as his protg was a devout Christian who listened to his elders.
Tex Ramogobya says that artists come from different backgrounds. He says his strategy is to take in all his artists and stay with them and groom them.
'This is the best way because you get to teach your artists, whilst they are still young, about the industry they are getting into; the challenges and how to handle themselves with the public and fans,' he says.