I am an author not a politician - Sesinyi

| Thursday March 11, 2010 00:00

I'm not a politician and it doesn't seem as if I will ever aspire to be one. I'm an author - a writer of fiction. Fiction is a product of the imagination with creative structuring and construction of unreal events. My play, 'Goodbye to Power', is not a portrayal of real events and this is clearly stated as is the case in any work of fiction. The play is neither complimentary of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, nor, derogatory about the opposition.

As a matter of fact, if you read the play carefully, you will not find anything flattering about a depiction of a coup attempt by a fictitious army man, who almost gained the sympathy and support of the fictitious president of the outgoing ruling party.

I was, actually, expecting the BDP to complain that my play insinuates a BDP inspired coup should the opposition take over. I'm surprised it's the other way round, but then I know the play best. I wrote it.

In the play, the fictitious opposition does eventually take power after the fictitious foiled coup. In other words, the fictitious opposition survives the fictitious coup attempt. Rather than maligning our real opposition, the play portrays, instead, the survival of democracy against reactionary elements who attempted to hang on to power.

The play further portrays the uniqueness of the position of an army in Botswana where a coup attempt is so easily crushed even though executed by the fictitious head of the army. In most of our sister countries, successful coups have been waged against democracies by lowly officers.

The play says: In Botswana, we are safe, even if the opposition were to win a general election. What happened in other African countries will not happen here.The play ends with the fictitious leader of the opposition speaking well of the heroic actions of the fictitious former president who fought the temptation to support the fictitious attempted coup.

If any politician wants to look closely at what the play suggests they should study the aspirations of their electorate.

The play depicts the helplessness of the common man in knowing how to find a trusted leader in the democratic processes of elections. Look at the 'street sweepers' in the play.

In working out the plot as it does, the play wants to show the fragility of African democracies, especially in situations where one party has been in power for the entire period of the country's independence.

Although it is the electorate's choice that it be so, the fragility of transitional governance under such circumstances cannot always be predictable...but they can be imagines, especially by authors of fiction.

I really do not think the BDP will be flattered by this play. On the other  hand however, I do not write to please but to express myself through creative works of art. I do not subscribe to the notion; publish and be damned.

My philosophy is: publish and be redeemed. I have full confidence in the peaceful and democratic future of my country. I take no offence at the criticism levelled at me by one of our political leaders because it is no affliction of leprosy to be associated with any of our political parties.

I have been associated before with several, including the BNF. I am, at present, just a voter and a writer/journalist. This literary dialogue is greatly appreciated and I promise more to come... bigger and better.

Andrew Sesinyi Sesinyi is author of the book Goodbye to Power