Western impresses the Chinese
Chippa Legodimo | Friday May 2, 2014 14:42
It, therefore, does not come as a surprise that every time you ask the likable folklore musician to play one of his songs it is always the first to pop up in his mind.
This is a self-introductory number in which the musician explains his origins while at the same time saluting other tribes and their totems. The talented guitarist might have one of the easiest lifestyles but his passion and mastery for traditional music still makes him an attractive musician.
Already he has caught the attention of some Chinese folklore musicians who have requested for his CD with the view to start working with him. Arts & Culture caught up with him at Ko-Setlhareng Dot Com recently where he had gone to search for a copy of the record.
“People see me on the internet and they like my music. I have to give these Chinese fellows a copy to take home,” he said.
Born in Ledumadumane village near Mogoditshane 42 years ago, Western used to admire an old man in the village called Leshaba Loeto for his guitar skills. The two became closer in later years.
Like most of his peers popularly referred to as Boraskanta for their love for the guitar and drinking habits, Western mostly plays his instrument at drinking spots, entertaining for a few pulas.
But unlike Stampore, Sam Raditsebe and Kotaeshwele, Western had a chance to study and could have probably managed to pass, but he chose to follow his passion. Playing music for the ‘small crowds’ clearly does not pay him well, but the man seems content with it.
“I dropped out of school mid-way through my standard seven and ran after the guitar. I could have continued with school and still not have money today. This guitar gives me money almost everyday and I live like any other person, buy my own clothes and food,” he says.
Trying to follow a route that did not excite him, he insists, would have been a waste of money for his parents. He could get a good education and then still fail to resist the lure to become ‘Raskanta’.
He declares that many educated people cannot play the guitar, therefore, “I posses a special skill”.
Although he learnt to play from the late Loeto, Western conceded that he keenly followed the late legends, Raditsebe and Tlhabano Molatlhiwa.
“I used to play with Molatlhiwa and Ramagwaigwai at the Gaborone station and learnt a lot from them. Sam was a big man and almost everybody wanted to emulate him,” he said.
Although his parents were not happy when he left school, they later accepted his fate when they heard his music on Radio Botswana. In 2005, there was more hope that the guitarist would use his talent to good benefit when he released his first album with Ramco Records.
Nine years later, Western is yet to record his second album and many have wondered if the gifted guitarist and vocalist is still alive.
“I am still here. I fear no one when it comes to playing the guitar. It is only that since Ramco left for South Africa, things became difficult because he was one of those few who knew the value of folklore music and appreciated the talent we possess. But there are some people I am working with for a new album,” he says.