Disco queens dish single on GBV
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday August 21, 2020 15:03
In an interview, Ponka who’s real is name Lebang Baipidi explained that the track was about GBV cases that were recorded during lockdown.
She said they were hurt by the rising GBV cases in Botswana that were reported during lockdown. hence the decision to release the single to help in addressing the scourge.
Ponka added that with a fan base across the country, they created a message through song in order to sensitise the public about the effects of this form of violence and raise awareness for women to be independent.
“We wanted to raise awareness about abuse, rape and engage young women on self-empowerment. We have realised that many women are abused because some of them depend on their partners to put food on the table. We therefore encourage fellow sisters out there to stand on their feet and be independent,” Ponka told Arts & Culture.
“Times have changed. There are many initiatives that government has put in place for women to utilise and be self-reliant. We cannot afford to have women being abused or even killed just because they depend on men to feed them and their children,” she said.
Ponka further implored the society, regardless of gender to fight the GBV and urged women to utilise self-empowerment initiatives in order to avoid staying in abusive relationships.
Lentswe la Mosadi was officially released on Monday this week. It has already been aired on local Radio Botswana 1. Ponka and Maglo (Gloria Lorato Thakadu) said they would engage the corporate world, NGOs, private sector and individuals to help them raise awareness on GBV.
Ponka said she chose disco music because she has loved the music since her childhood and grew up listening to the genre. Her father, who was a disc jockey at Metsimaswaane lands, became her role model and inspired her to love the music. Ponka also looked up to Mercy Pakela from South Africa when growing up.
Since 2000, Ponka has been going strong in the local music disco music industry. On the other hand, Magloo started her music career as an Afro Kwasa and House Kwasa singer until she found her way into disco music that she does to date.
In 2010, she released her first album Tsamaya (Afro Kwasa) released by Bullet Music Production and Blackmampatile (house kwasa) in 2013.
In 2019, Magloo released her first disco Loving You that was released by Patrick Motlaopi Mangasa where she later dropped another single titled Monna Tia the same year in December. She has also recently released a song called Corona after the virus affected the entertainment industry and other businesses worldwide.