Of beaches, �go stay�ja� and �carcass tsa size�
Thalefang Charles | Friday January 9, 2015 16:06
The ritual starts with rolling down the car windows when crossing the Thamalakane River from Boseja at New Bridge (it is now old bridge) behind Riley’s Hotel. The humidity will immediately soak up the body and the fresh scent of water will ease the senses confirming my exit from the Kgalagadi and welcoming me into the Ngamiland.
This also calls for a celebratory drink from a nearby bar where the ritual is completed.
On December 28, the eve of my birthday, just before 9pm I conducted this ritual together with fellow journalists, Sharon Mathala, David Baaitse and Thobo Motlhoka, as we crossed the Thamakalane River.
They wanted to do the usual touristy thing of checking in at the hotel, and freshening up before hitting the night joints, but I insisted on completing my little ritual.
Our first stop was Duck Pond bar where we ordered a single beverage each, sat down and drank, while listening to the locals. Listen to the locals and you will never forget Maun. The way they talk, the beautiful accent, the creative use of words and their carefree spirit, making them the loveliest people in Botswana.
That is where my Maun experience begun.
As men, in Maun we were referred to as ‘bo Mister’ and Sharon, the only female in our entourage, as ‘carcass’, an affectionate term Maun people use for women. Our brief stay at Duck Pond Bar was called ‘go stay’ja’ or to stage. That is the Maun lingo and it is spoken with a sweet accent, making it easily heard than read.
Since we were guests of the ‘My Maun Experience’ event we had to cut short our welcome reception to go and meet our hosts, Dose Mosimanyane of D.O.C and Bissau Gaobakwe of Sixty3 Entertainment, at Maun Lodge.
But of course we had not come to Maun to sleep. We dropped off our luggage after checking in and Mosimanyane escorted us to Club Exclusive where the sensational Team Distant was scheduled to rock. We were waived into the VIP area, but being journalists, we preferred to join ‘di carcass’ and the masses on the dance floor. Team Distant came in and did their thing in the packed club and we left before sunrise.
My birthday dawned on December 29 and on my itinerary was the My Maun Experience marathon as well as private birthday activities with my entourage. The marathon began as we caught up with sleep from the club at 6am and we only saw the arrival of the slowest runners.
Gaobakwe and Mosimanyane treated us with a much-needed breakfast at The Boma in Maun Lodge where we mingled with the marathon’s VIP participants. The marathon was graced by Olympic silver medalist, Nijel Amos and 800m runner, Amantle Montsho, who appears to have traded in her running shoes for fast cars.
Ngami West MP, Kgosi Tawana, was there too as the official guest. He did not waste time in taking below the belt political potshots in the so-called Mokgalo tales.
He sent a hard, low one to Tshekedi Khama, saying the minister had a short stay at school and was to blame for not making Maun a research hub.
Interestingly Tawana’s son, Oatile, who is reportedly close to the Khamas, walked out when the crowd broke out in laughter at the jabs. Most of us, however, were like the popular green frog, Kermit, as the closest we have been to the Tawanas and Khamas is in the selfies.
My Maun birthday highlight was a mokoro ride on the Thamalakane River. My colleagues had earlier vowed that they would not ‘step on that thing’, because they were ‘not ready to die’.
Lately, mokoro rides have become unpopular after former journalist Laona Segaetsho and others drowned at Lake Ngami when their craft capsized.
The mokoro ride is risky and nervously exciting, especially on a bigger body of water like Thamalakane River.
I persuaded my colleague and we clambered on board with a cooler box full of beverages to take care of our nerves.
In the afternoon we joined the My Maun Experience guests on a speedboat to one of the islands along the river and later in the evening we ‘staged’ in the famous Maun beaches.
Maun people love the beach and every unoccupied piece of land, no matter how small, along the river, as long as it has sand, is called a beach. They normally go to such places ‘go stay’ja’. So we did it the Maun way and staged with our ‘carcasses’ enjoying sundowners and watching the beautiful sunset on the beach.
We welcomed the New Year at Sakayumba Farm, after watching the amazing Protwerkers shaking their behinds like robots, before continuing to usher in the fresh 365 days at the lodge.