So long Sam, Laona
Dumi Mmualefe | Monday November 10, 2014 15:30
The likes of Parks Tafa, Collet Moji and Igobe Pie will remember this line with great nostalgia. Flashes of Collet Moji, a light complexioned beautiful teenage girl from Tlokweng dominates my mind as she limped across the stage having exploited the lightness of her skin color to turn almost red as real tears rolled down her chicks as she played Ntaanana bringing and atmosphere of loss and mourning into the hall with some members of the audience crying as we performed “Too Late”, a play by the renowned play writer Gibson Kente.
I can still hear the sound of the African drum as it reverberated in the hall to usher in “the song of death!” Indeed, death has come back too soon. This year doesn’t seem to be ending well. So far we have lost three iconic young men to death. Young men who made a difference in the life of this nation. Young men whose indelible marks can neither be ignored nor unnoticed. These are young men who touched many in ways in that will only be held on to as cherished memories.
Ecclesiastes reminds us, however, that “no one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over death; there is no dscharge from the battle…” (8:8). And indeed “For everything there is a season, and time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Dolly Parton adds an artistic twist and sings “To everything turn, turn, turn!”
Life is full of twists and turns. And these twists and turns are the same thing that makes life worth living; paradoxically so as some of these twists and turns are what is thought to be the very opposite of life! Death therefore, one would be tempted to agree is one of life’s stations. For everything there is a turn, turn, turn. These turns are seasons we have no control over. Life, believe it or not, will be more miserable is we had control over these turns.
We are blessed to have “power over the wind to restrain the wind” and “power over death”. We are blessed not to possess any power over the seasons, especially death. History and reality have taught us that where some power is availed to human beings, instead of sharing this power some of us take more than is set aside for us and abuse others and God in the process.
After creating males and females, God blessed them and gave them dominion, that is, power. This divine power was given to all to share. This power is divine only when it is shared. Reality, however, teaches us that because of human greed, a few always usurp this power and use it against the majority.
Human beings never seem to know what having enough means. Adam and Eve could not be satisfied with the many fruit trees given to them for food, because of human greed they even went for one reserved for God. When provided with quails form above and told to take what they needed for the day, Israel went further to take more than they needed; their wants overshadowed their needs and there was rot in the camp!
If we had power over death, surely this power would be in the hands of the few now. They would determine who dies and when. Others would buy life like people buying airtime. We would be like cell phones which depend on airtime from service providers. But thanks be to God, we do not have that power!
Recently, it was Gomolemo Motswaledi, a political firebrand, an artist and a visionary. His death shook this nation to the core, but we do not have power on the “turn, turn, turn”! If we had a choice, we would have stopped his transition but we could not because we are not endowed with such powers!
Yes, death has come back too soon! Two young men of this country; each different from the former and from each other have passed on. Laona Segaetsho’s voice still sounds in many an ear. The soothing voice we would wake up to during “Masa a sele” on the station at the heart of the nation!