Motlhaolosa Poetry ensemble to launch debut album
Oleosi Kgosi | Wednesday June 14, 2017 17:06
The event will feature poets and poetry clubs as well as prominent people from Botswana and South Africa. The pre-launch will attract media from different countries including SABC and Namibian radio stations.
Motlhaolosa Poetry Ensemble hopes to raise funds for several projects by hosting pre-launches in different parts of the country, as a build-up to the grand launch, which will be held in April next year in Gaborone.
Moroka Moreri collaborated with Tebogo Motswetla popularly known for Mabijo cartoons. The renowned poet explained that Motswetla approached the ensemble and suggested that they should look at other ways of presenting their poetry, thus a fusion between poetry and animation. Moreri told Showbiz that the event would feature an exhibition of different products made by local wood carvers.
“The purpose of the ensemble is to activate cultural events in villages and schools countrywide. We have already held one in Molepolole at Motswasele JSS and also built a cultural house for them. We have gone to Gopane in South Africa to activate resuscitation of their culture because we believe that South Africans and Batswana are one. It’s just that we are divided by borders and had it not been borders there could be no limitations as there are a lot of similarities, culturally and historically for both nations,” he said.
He added that the ensemble hosted a Cultural Day at Onkgopotse Tiro Comprehensive School, in celebration of the late Onkgopotse Tiro’s life. Tiro was a political hero, born in Dinokaneng, South Africa.
“Looking from a cultural lens, he was not just a political animal, he also had the cultural roots that triggered and influenced his behaviour,” Moreri said.
He also said they intend to honour departed poets by erecting tombstones on their graves.
The event will also feature performances by some of Botswana’s renowned musicians including Lister Boleseng, Mmereki Marakakgoro, Bafana ‘Phempherethe’ Pheto, as well as Baba Flo Nawej.
Meanwhile, Moreri also said the ensemble aims to convert poetry into Braille, to allow the blind to interpret and recite poems. He said this would be done mainly to reach out to the wider communities, whether disabled or not, and to ensure that all poets are able to share their talents with people.
“We would also like to start a hall of fame for poets and they are still at zero stage hence the recording of the musical poetry CD to raise funds. Nobody will be sponsoring me, nobody cares about poetry as a genre that can be influential, whereas it is. During the medieval days poetry was the in-thing, it was done for kings and the poet would never be poor, but today it’s the reverse, we are poor and we can’t raise funds to reach out but I’m not going to give up,” Moreri said.
Moreri said a workshop was held in Maunatla recently to sensitise the community on the importance of culture. He said participants were urged to look at culture from a wide perspective and focus on every aspect that makes culture and celebrate it as a whole not only traditional dance and food. He added that participants were also informed to use culture to generate income.
Moreri successfully hosted the first ever poetry awards in the country last year, despite not having a major sponsor. He acknowledged Radio Botswana, SABC, Macmillan, Mpho Balopi, Sego Catering for their assistance in ensuring the success of the awards.
He said that he is very thankful to Batswana for their continued support.
“The CD is selling well even beyond the borders in countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom as well as Germany” he highlighted.
He said he has received an invitation to perform in the US in Ohio in September and impart lectures on poetry and another invite to perform at a festival in Washington DC.