Dancing In The Rain With Tuku And Franco
Dumisani Ncube | Monday October 9, 2017 18:00
The heavy rains started pouring moments before Franco opened up the event with revellers seeking refugee under the shades and trees. It was a sold out show that had a multi-racial and cultural audience. Franco had revellers going ecstatic as he performed classic rhumba music from yester years and new tracks such as Tipi Ya Mokwatla, E Ya Le Nna Babilone and Bokgaitsadi.
Franco’s performance was full of energy and had revellers eating from the palm of his hands. The band and dancers made it more ecstatic and creative with the energetic moves and chants that were linear to the instrumentation.
The rhumba maestro interacted with his audience adding some humour, acting like someone who cannot speak English as he tried interacting with white revellers. As the night went on, Franco serenaded Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, which impressed his audience more. He later on called Charma Gal on stage, as they both sang Mokolodi.
He raised the tempo with Ke Lela Le Lona making it to look like he was the main act as he was in charge of the night.
After some energetic Franco performance it was now time for the legend Tuku who came on stage with his traditional Tuku music and a band. The audience went more ecstatic despite the heavy downpours.
With a musical career that spans decades, with 67 music albums at 65-years-old, Tuku jammed a number of songs from his different albums. He started off with some energy, as he played Mhopo that had him put his guitar down and pull some of his trademark dance moves that he used to do with his former band mate Piki Kasamba in the 80s and 90s.
The instrumentation of the different songs kept the event alive, but with time the legend made his performance look like a pattern as he arranged hits and unknown songs from his new album such as Kusvipa, which had the revellers pause for some time without the same energy they had when he performed his hits.
The spirit came back again as he belted out timeless classics such a Tozeza Baba, Perekedza Mwana and Ndakuvara that had a number of Shona speaking fans dancing and singing along. This time around he called his wife Daisy Mtukudzi who played a backing vocalist role in some of the songs.
While at it, event promoter Robbie Rob walked on stage holding a cake for Tuku who recently turned 65. Daisy Mtukudzi cut the cake and fed her husband a slice. After eating the cake Tuku performed Bvuma a controversial song which talks of old age, at some point it used to be thought that he had composed the song for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
With his band they danced around the stage, as they shut down their performance with songs such as Kunzekwadoka and Mtserendende.
For the first time at Botswanacraft, the event was marred by a brawl, which shocked a number of people saying it was an unusual act at the event. Also the event bouncer, known as Mogogi, harassed photojournalists as he bullied them telling them to stop taking pictures on stage as he chased them away from the stage area.