So what, if Vee is a prophet?

Keletso Thobega | Thursday March 19, 2015 18:30

The Vee I saw was in contrast to the one we have seen over the years jumping up on stage, wiggling his crotch and gyrating like someone with ants in his pants. 

Going through different social media platforms, I noticed that some people were quite negative about Vee’s “calling”. Why can’t he be a prophet? Do you Batswana believe only foreigners are capable of being “men of God”?  A friend of mine speculated that it was for money and fame. But why would someone with so much money and fame be desperate for more? Let’s be commonsensical for a second?

Or is it because he’s a kwaito artiste?

Why are we quick to discredit his relationship with God?

I feel that Vee has been ‘boxed’. I have noticed that some people expect you to be what they think or want – a figment on their over-fertile imaginations. I think some people struggle to reconcile the person they think you should be, with the person you want to or meant to be. When someone knows you a certain way, they want you to always fit into that box. Since we have associated kwaito and its artistes with wild indulgences like boozing, drugs and philandering, we struggle to come to reconcile Vee the kwaito artiste, with Odirile ‘Vee’ Sento, the committed family man and ‘man of God’. 

Vee could have been just another drunk, womanizer or spendthrift but he chose to be a financially savvy, committed family man and responsible citizen. Transforming his life is a choice he made for himself. He has also transcended societal barriers some people impose; the kind of people who feel obliged to dictate what others can achieve, how much they can succeed, or the decisions they should make in their personal lives. 

The other argument I have caught heed of is that Vee cannot simultaneously be a “man of God” and a kwaito rrasekanta (artiste) because he performs at nightclubs and gigs, wiggling, jiggling and humping on stage. Why not? Does he go on stage and encourage anyone to get drunk, swear, have unprotected sex or stab other people etc? As far as I’m concerned, he didn’t proclaim to be Jesus, but someone who spreads the word of God. If anything, he’s in a better position to spread the word of his God on those gig platforms because those people probably need God’s grace more than those who religiously visit churches. 

Some Batswana seem to hate goodness. They like it when someone is a drunk, a thief, a harlot, cheat, a heathen, or are associated with dodgy behaviour. Seeing someone progress, succeed or turn over a new leaf makes him or her uncomfortable. Perhaps this is because we enjoy deriving gossip fodder and spreading malicious rumors about others?

 Motho o montsho fa a bona o mongwe e le letlakala kana a sokola, e ka re o a itumela. Fa motho a iteka kana a tshela sentle, ga a rate, o nna le lefufa le mowa wa bosawana, ka goreng? 

On the flipside, in Revelations, the Bible states that ‘false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.’ Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of charismatic churches. We have also been inundated with many pastors, most of them from other African countries, promising miracles, healings and breakthroughs.

There are many people who have renewed their relationship with God, yet there are many others who do it for showmanship, pomp, attention and money. It’s difficult to establish who is fibbing and who is telling the truth. What has always boggled me is why they don’t help their own people first? Whether these prophets are genuine faith or a fad remains to be seen. Everyone is entitled to live their life as they wish and make decisions they feel best for themselves.

If at all it’s fake, let it be.

Lo llelang banga loso ba sa lele? 

The jury is out on whether Vee is a genuine man of God, however can’t help but wonder why we are quick to believe that a foreigner is a “man of God” but discredit our own people?