Stiger Sola � the storyteller
Thalefang Charles | Friday August 19, 2016 15:54
Legend folklore guitarist Monaga “Stiger Sola” Molefi is a deft storyteller, not your ordinary “Gatwe E rile,” storyteller and does not need campfire to get to his charming element.
But if one sits with Stiger around the campfire, with his guitar, it easily turns out to be a great show. And I have been privileged to have just 14 of those campfire shows during the Cross Okavango Delta Expedition - our adventurous journey in the wilderness as we crossed the Okavango Delta using mekoro.
Wilderness is Stiger’s first name - literally. They named him “Monaga”, the wild one, because apparently he was born out in the wilderness. He says his mother bore him in the Okavango Delta near the village of Shorobe and talks about the biting winter of that June in 1959 as if he could vividly remember it. And that is how Stiger is; when he hears a story he would later retell it even better – sometimes even narrating it back to the storyteller he first heard it from.
Sitting with Stiger around the campfire in the Okavango Delta while playing his four-string guitar, sparks from the fire cracking up and shooting up in the air, at times smoke getting in our eyes and making us squint when trying to watch him – this must have been the best way to experience this humble and entertaining legend.
First, before he played music from his rich discography, he gave us the legends of four-string guitar. It was as if he was paying homage to this unique sound by referencing to the unsung four-string guitarist of yesteryears.
He replayed ballads of Lepodise Sekokoane, the classic blesser song saying, “Ke mogatse radichelete, machelete iyoo, ke mogatse radichele dali.” Stiger stripped down George Swabi’s masterpeiece Ba Ga Mmangwato Ba Ga Mabiletsa explaining the hidden meanings by the legendary guitarist in the song. Then he sampled Kgalagadi’s finest Andries Bok, as well as the Botswana’s own Godfather of basking, the late Johnny Kobedi and Ramagwaigwai. He gave us Kotaeshele and his younger brother, Kotaeshelenyana.
He dwelled on the discussion about who is the best between Solly Sebotso and Sebongile Kgaila. Stiger sums it saying Solly is a great guitarist but Kgaila is a good composer. He touched on the mystery of who composed Pidipidi and Thabano Molathiwa’s influence on Solly Sebotso.
At the end of sampling – which was like a presentation of the heritage of the four-string guitar – Stiger went back home to his music story. “I have eight albums and I have over 91 songs,” he disclosed. Stiger introduced new sound in Botswana when he fused Borankana and four-string guitar. His sound later included some laces of fast-paced Rhumba sounds.
He recorded his first album, Khubama at Downtown Studios in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The album became an instant hit reaching Gold, but he has nothing to show from it. He did two other albums, namely Mamelodi and Khoikhoi, with the South Africans before he decided that enough was enough.
He moved back to Botswana and recorded three other albums with Mpho Nakedi in Francistown. The albums were Galalela, Ke Bana Ba Dikole and Sethukuthuku. The relationship with Nakedi ended one Sunday when Stiger was once again feeling cheated and decided to confront Nakedi at his church with a demand for long overdue payment of album proceeds.
From Francistown, he tried his luck across the border in Zimbabwe where he recorded Xukaxuke at Moonlight Studios in Bulawayo. It was another disaster with the Zimbabweans and Stiger decided to quit and return home.
Stiger’s narration of the journey through the studio hopping is sad and proves his resilience. In between those seven albums Stiger says he went through heartbreaks that at some point he decided just to quit this music because of rip-offs he was subjected to.
He revealed that one day while tired and distraught from being a serial victim of the wrath of unscrupulous producers that ripped him off he took a decision to quit music and move in at small remote settlement called Mapororo near Semboyo with a his love of life. He found solace from farming and leading a traditional life in small settlement away from music sharks that broke his heart.
But still music pulled him out of Mapororo and he found himself again in the studio in Maun with Lucky Kealeboga also known as Emcee Keal. They have since recorded one album titled Ko Morakeng. Another upcoming album is titled Ksiksino and he says it would be out soon.
Throughout the Okavango Delta, Stiger travels like a rockstar – with a guitar. At shebeens he does not buy drinks, people offer him drinks.
After reaching the small island of Xaxaba (Although Stiger has sang about Xaxaba it was his very first time being at the village) during the Cross Okavango Delta Expedition, Stiger gave us an exclusive listening session of his new song Ksiksino at Kgosi Thogotona Mpanyana’s yard. Ksiksino promises to be a hit when it finally comes out.