Young actor Molosi seeks Khama blessing

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Thursday January 21, 2010 00:00

The 2009 play portrays Molosi as Botswana's founding President Sir Seretse Khama, in an award-winning stage solo performance that he (Molosi) wrote himself. In it, Molosi demonstrates how the late Khama was successful in bringing two different worlds together during his time.

He shows the way he was successful in merging bogosi with modern democracy and also how he was able to bring black and white people together during the dark days of apartheid.  

Molosi said the play on Khama was inspired by books that he had read whilst studying Political Economy and Theatre at Williams College in Massachusetts in the United States of America (US). He said he tried looking around to find if there had been anything visual that had been done on Khama but realised there was none, which is why he made it a duty to produce one himself.

Molosi said he continued doing extensive research on Khama before proceeding as he wanted to portray his life as accurate as possible. 'I went to libraries, museums and even interacted with people who knew him, including his former colleagues, and some of his distant relatives,' he said. Molosi said at first his product was only 15 minutes long but when he realised that its reception in the US was positive, he decided to increase it to 45 minutes.

Blue, Black and White has thus far been staged in countries like the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Uganda and Senegal. 'Ugandans loved the story of Seretse and because lots of people there appreciate the arts it worked out well,' he said.

Molosi said he feels that now is the time to launch the play formerly as he plans on filming and documenting the journey he went through producing it. This, however, he said he cannot do without the approval of the Khama family.

He said despite his Hollywood fame, he still considers himself a Motswana child and believes in doing things through consultation and respect. 'As much as it is a public story about a public figure, I cannot go to the next level of publicising the drama without the Khamas' blessing as they are his family,' he said. Molosi said he has written a number of letters to the Khama family ever since the completion of the play but to date has never received a response from them.

He said that he would also be in a position to stage the play in Botswana after the family's approval.

Molosi leaves Botswana on Wednesday for Qatar and Paris for more acting opportunities.Molosi said he is also scheduled to perform his self produced and scripted plays including the one depicting Khama and another titled My Brothers Bones - a satirical play talking about burial space running out in Botswana.

The 24-year-old Mahalapye man has acted in Hollywood produced movies, including the upcoming war-themed blockbuster Green Zone alongside Hollywood star Matt Damon.

His latest Hollywood roles are in Given, a New Zealand/US thriller in which he plays a British railroad worker who helps solve a robbery mystery without knowing it and also in One Triumph where he plays a Nigerian acting student in the US. Given is set for release sometime this year whilst One Triumph is set to be released sometime next year.