Culture Spears' dancer leaves: 'I was cheated'

MONKAGEDI SESUPO GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer
& RANTSIMAKO
Correspondent | Tuesday March 2, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview with Showbiz, the 27-year-old Mokgwatlheng, who is associated with some San lyrics of some of Culture Spears' hits, disclosed that she was both a dancer and shareholder in the group. She attributed her resignation to, among others, some health problems and her dissatisfaction with the money she got from the group after performances.

'I am not happy at all because I have worked with this group for so many years and we have been making a lot of money through festivals, but still the money that we are paid is peanuts. Legale Modimo o teng,' she said.

Mokgwatlheng is one of the founders of the group in collaboration with Kabelo Mogwe, who is the leader, Thembeni Ramose tlheng and Magdeline Lesolebe.

The group was formed in 2005 and its debut album recorded during the same year was titled Korone and it had songs like Mmadikokwana and Selonyana. Their second album record in 2007 was Kulenyane, which was a hit in both the local and international markets. The group's latest offering, titled Khudu, was recorded in 2008 and has also done well on the market.

The group has its own recording studio called Kulenyane Studios and it recently launched a website. All these, according to Mokgwatlheng, are signs that the group has much more money.

Culture Spears' chief vocalist Kabelo Mogwe says their female dancer Jelina Mokgwatlheng of Gantsi, who quit the popular traditional group, has always wanted to quit on health grounds.

Mogwe says the group members, out of compassion, had persuaded Mokgwatlheng on several occasions not to quit. He said instead they would give the dancer sick leave for as long as she needs it.

'She has been experiencing health challenges from the day we recruited her into the group,' Mogwe told Showbiz.He said on several occasions Culture Spears had to do with one female dancer, Magdalene Lesolebe, who is also one of the lead vocalists in the group.  Mogwe said Mokgwatlheng's chronic health problems forced them to recruit another female dancer Lydia Oile, so Magdalene did not have to dance alone when Mokgwatlheng was unwell.

'There was no problem at all, there was no conflict as far was we know. In fact when Jelina indicated that she wanted to quit, we called our elders who interviewed her in the presence of our lawyer and everyone understood her reasons as health problems. However, Jelina also assured us that if her health improved, she would be ready to return to the fold,' Mogwe told the Showbiz.

'I can confirm that she was unable to join us for our Christmas tour, due to health problems. In fact that is when she tendered her resignation letter, but it was in a cordial atmosphere. In fact today she visited us at the Culture Spears home, and we enjoyed one another's company yet again.   Jelina would always have a home in Culture Spears,' Mogwe went on.

Asked to say if the dancer is quitting the group empty handed, Mogwe said they already gave her a package when she left, although he declined to say what the package involved. ' In any case we assured her that whenever she is in need, Culture Spears is here to assist her, we cannot forsake one of our own,' Mogwe said.

However, when told that Jelina is quoted by our Francistown correspondent complaining about poor payment, Mogwe would not believe the story.

'Where did they meet her? Do they really have her phone number; I doubt she ever said those things, because she cannot say such things.

We are the best of friends. Like I said, we spent the day with her today, she was from Gantsi, and she did not mention that she had given an interview to anybody.'