Reharko Polka Dance Group releases Die Antwoord
Teichler Rankoa | Wednesday September 3, 2014 15:22
Founder and coach of the group, Regina Nicole Koate, told Showbiz that she embarked on the project after realising that a lot of people love polka music, but do not have anywhere to get it. She said the album was released to cater for the demand of polka music.
“Many polka lovers asked us why we are not coming up with CDs, DVDs or albums for our music here in Botswana, and we did not have answers to this question,” Koata said.
Koata said they decided to give in to their fans’ demands and released their debut album.
“Because we could not answer the question from polka music lovers, we decided to use this album to answer them, hence the Afrikaans title Die Antwoord, which in English means the answer,” she said.
The veteran polka dancer and coach explained that Reharko Polka Dance Group wants to tell the story of the Kgalagadi region, polka and stamp dance music. She said that in her view, it is important for all Batswana to know about the history and culture of other regions in their country.
All the tracks are in Afrikaans and the first track, In Die Kalahari (In The Kgalagadi), is talking about life in the Kgalagadi and the synergy of diverse cultures to produce one tradition - polka. Track two is Oor die Sand Duinne (Over the Sand Dunes), which depicts the images of quad bikes and vehicles driving over the sand dunes in the Kgalagadi.
Track four, Woestuin Kaltuur (Desert Culture), talks about the unique way people do things in the desert.
“They embrace the environment, people and any living thing, which opens and makes the most out of it. The culture is full of love for life and consideration for other people, ‘o motho ka batho ba bangwe’,” Koata said.
Track seven, Strui-Wer-Vaal, is an abbreviation for Struizendam, Werda and Vaalhoek. Koata explained that the song serves as appreciation of the group members, who originate from these villages in the Kgalagadi district.
Koata is optimistic that their new album will take polka music lovers by storm, highlighting that since it was released a few weeks ago they have had positive response from potential customers, who are calling them with enquiries about it.