Thabang�s daring single takes jabs at regime
Gasebalwe Seretse | Tuesday August 19, 2014 17:00
Showbiz had a chat with the controversial afro-jazz artist, who had nothing nice to say about the present leaders.
“We are living in dangerous times. In the past, Batswana were free to express themselves, but we see things changing in our nation. Under the previous leaders, debate was encouraged and differing opinions were tolerated, but that is becoming a thing of the past,” he said.
Some of the provocative lyrics to the song say, “Phiri o kile a disa dinku jang?/Sa lona ke botlhodi” loosely translated, “How can a hyena take care of sheep? That is unheard of”.
The song heavily borrows from the proverbial hyena that always troubled the sheep and the shepherd.
Challenged to explain the meaning of the lyrics, Thabang said: “I want Batswana to understand that they have the power to vote for the future leaders of their choice so as not to live under a repressive regime.”
“I am in a situation where I believe it is my duty to speak out because if I don’t, who will? Nowadays I can see that even some outspoken journalists have gone into hiding, nobody wants to speak out in our nation,” he said. Thabang said that ever since the release of the single, some of his peers have distanced themselves from him.
He said some have even called him to ask him to explain the meaning of the lyrics and sensed that they were in fear for him.
“I can derive from the atmosphere around that Batswana are currently a sad nation. As an artist, I want to fight for the restoration of good virtues that we used to enjoy. We need our civil liberties back,” Thabang said.
He said it is his experiences under the present regime that have inspired him to write, “Ke goeletsa ke le ka ha tase ga rifi ya monna a ntshwere kgokgotsho are ke bine pina ya gagwe. Ke seke ka bua sepe kere ee morena. Mme ke ta a tswelela ke goeletsa hela ka gore mmatla sa gagwe ga a lape.”
Although Thabang was reluctant to disclose names, he said the current regime is under people with dictatorial tendencies, which needs to be questioned as Batswana are not used to the status quo.
He said the current trend his music is taking is going to be the voice of the voiceless since as a musician, he has the platform to do so.
The artist further challenged his fans to vote wisely this year as it will seriously impact their future.