Rre Bebe and Galephirime: The entertaining comedians
Teichler Rankoa | Friday September 5, 2014 12:59
Ishmael David, 26, who goes by the stage name Rre Bebe hails from Mahalapye, along with his friend Isaac Simon from Tshesebe, whose monicker is Galephirime, are set to reach for the sky.
The two, with their friend Ofentse Moipolai aka Tsaya Setoki from Mahalapye, simply call themselves Bakgalajwe ba Maloba crew and have produced a DVD dubbed Tsaya Setoki, which is fast flying off the shelves.
Rre Bebe and Galephirime have proved to be true comedians and Batswana have come to like them as they are.
They have chosen the right format to communicate their different messages, which is through drama. Their topics touch on many lessons that every Motswana would care to heed.
Rre Bebe tells Arts & Culture that they are doing this for all Batswana be it the young, old, educated and illiterate. He said that is the reason they have decided to use Setswana.
The crew also chooses the right attire for their project. They opt for cultural wear of the old jackets and trousers kind, and wear differently styled shoes (pitse le tonki style).
Their attire, Rre Bebe says, Batswana admire for it being unique.
“We want to catch the eye of our followers with our old and dirty attire, remember this is all about playing for business, so we can’t do this without looking funny,” he says.
Seeing them from afar one would confuse them for old men from the cattle-post, only to see that they are actually young men as one approaches.
To look very old, they have painted their cheeks white, and use supporting sticks to walk like old men. All these props attract the right amount of attention that their followers ask them to perform for a fee.
At the Main Mall in Gaborone the Bakgalajwe ba Maloba crew of Galephirime and Rre Bebe brought the mall to a stand still last week with their comedy set that included Tsaya Setoki.
Though they were only two, they performed to their best, leaving the audience asking for more.
It was not surprising to see a lot of business people around the mall leaving their stations to follow Galephirime and Rre Bebe to the other side of the centre.
With his self-made big stomach, Galephirime attracted a lot of attention from the audience that enjoyed the way he moves and shakes it.
He did it like the natural potbelly old men would when they play with it, and when he walks his buttocks would move like he was being pinched with a needle.
The buttock movement made a killing for the comedians, as the audience could not get enough of it.
The talented duo is pleased with the reception they receive, saying it is just overwhelming. They add that they are indebted to their supporters, who without them they would not be able to make a living out of their talents.
His colleague Simon emphasises that old people are true actors on their own right who put any kind of attire they want on, no matter id it is old or dirty, leaving young ones talking about them for few days.
“That is what we call original comedy by the old men,” Rre Bebe says.
Rre Bebe pointed out that to start this project was never easy, as they were faced with many challenges, financial problems at the top of the heap. They did not give up since they wanted to realise their dream and eke out a living for themselves.
He says they knew that in life one has to reap what s/he sows, and to be at the top, one should literally sweat before one can taste the sweet rewards. Rre Bebe says that everything in their world is possible and they are prepared for anything that comes their way.
He says they want to do comedy in a different way, not just entertain the audience but also educate, inform and warn Batswana on different issues affecting them, as well as preserving culture through their talents.
He says that the youth should be challenged to stop bemoaning the lack of employment and engaging in bad behaviour, adding that they should instead use their talents to make a living.
He adds that since they started with comedy a few months ago they can attest to other youth that they will never sleep with empty stomaches.