Talking Musika

RAMPHOLO MOLEFHE | Monday January 10, 2011 00:00

In the second decade of the 21st century, it will be important for cultural workers to reckon with the reality of the increasing momentum towards the creation of a 'one world' culture driven by advanced technology and knowledge.

Botswana has failed to arrive at a positive policy on the question of nationalities, in sociological terms, stated as ethnicity or, more crudely, tribalism.

It is expected that the Kuru and Domboshaba cultural festivals should address this question, and put these questions to the larger nation state more vigorously in order to avert tribal prejudice and ethnic conflict.

Regrettably, these festivals appear to have neglected the intellectual aspects of the cultural statement which they set out to make.  Domboshaba must be credited with making a statement about 'mother tongue' education.  The statement though, suffers from a lack of scientific presentation.

The notion of education in the mother tongue in the early years of schooling is supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter.  It is also backed by the development of people's rights expressed in the struggle of indigenous peoples especially after the reconsideration of the notion of 'nationalism' as Adolf Hitler and his cohorts sought to define it, leading to World War II.

That world war gave the world an opportunity to discuss and settle the question of ethnic superiority as preached by Hitler and the type of constitutions that single out one or the other tribe as 'major', relegating the rest to subservience.

Reports on these festivals in 2010 suggested that that there was decreasing support and enthusiasm for Domboshaba in particular.  Kuru, it appears, is slowly degenerating into a sightseeing resort for tourists who want to taste exotic Africa.

These festivals must discuss ethnicity and the contribution of the struggles of the indigenous peoples to nationhood and a united country.    Playing music and dancing for the whole weekend will not serve that purpose. 

That discussion, should it happen, will persuade the national broadcasters to relieve themselves of political control, thereby permitting them to appreciate more seriously, their obligation to public concerns.

The abolition of state broadcasting, and its replacement with public media, will help to establish equitable reflection of the cultures of the peoples of Botswana, instead of promoting the colonial language of English and Setswana.

The public broadcaster will reflect the demographics of the spoken languages of Botswana including Sesarwa, Ikalanga and SheKgalagadi.

The public broadcaster will desist from drugging Batswana with nonsense music and Botswana Democratic Party propaganda, giving greater prominence to news, educational programmes and civic conscientisation. 

Unfortunately, the media spokespersons of this day are horribly ill-equipped - ideologically and professionally - to persuade government to move in the direction of genuine public broadcasting.  Instead, despite their public regrets, they have conspired with government to lead the nation into the Media Practitioners Act. The manner of the establishment of the Copyright Society, is consistent with the government programme of domestication of all institutions that pretend to stand for 'Freedom of Expression'.  The copyright society should be an autonomous civil society organisation, established in much the same way as the system of justice or the Botswana Defence Force.

That simply means that the society will seek public sponsorship from the tax payer, returning the favour by supporting the livelihood of free and independent artists, not by party affiliation, but by public appreciation of their effort to live up to the obligations of the free license they have been given to comment on news and current affairs.

The public broadcaster must find ways of diversifying its financing resources without competing with private radio and television stations.  The public broadcasters must not compete with private media.  Rather, it must support them.

That will avoid the situation where the richest companies - including the government - buy advertising space in the tax sponsored organisation, to promote their private interests, many of which have been found to be anti-social. That danger also befalls the community based media, which must be allowed, despite the reigning political resistance.

It is not clear how it was decided that there should be an educational television channel.  It is clear that the existing channel is both underutilised and abused, mostly by politicians of the ruling party.

Public attention should be brought to the implied costs of spreading public sponsorship over two broadcasting channels when the same objectives could have been achieved by optimising the opportunities that presently exist at Btv.

Mention was made last year about the possibility of availing studio facilities to aspiring artists at the state broadcasting facilities.  That should be done.  But it should be part of a well thought out policy that supports integration of youth activities that are related to cultural development.

Apparently, a good sum has been wasted on sponsoring children to record at studios in and around Gaborone, I gathered from the managers.

Now, it appears that, as in the good old days, musical enterprise has again been befallen by stigma.  I am told- and this is not confirmed - that there is resistance at the ministry responsible for culture, to proposals of the youth for arts projects.  Apparently, it is said, the money that has been gathered to sponsor youth programmes goes to young people who want to rear cows and goats.  Some of them might want to plough mealies.  But, little or no consideration is given to the young people who want to make music or paint pictures.

As I said, this is all unconfirmed information, but if it is true, it paints a gloomy picture about the possibilities of Botswana entering the knowledge based global community.

The Botswana Democratic Party government must consider a broad policy of youth development that embraces enterprise other than chasing cows in the hinterlands.  Some young people prefer to draw or sing, and they do it well. Support them too.Finally, I should repeat the plea that it is important for the country to recognise the cultural heroes of the past, not just activists of the ruling party.

Yes, there was fair comment about my suggestion that artists should shy away from committing themselves to political parties, also carrying party cards.  That suggestion was misunderstood.

Artists are afforded the special privilege of free comment that is not given to the average citizen.  Artists must respect that privilege.  The privilege is given because the larger society believes that with more 'free and independent' comment, it will gain by getting new, fresh and innovative ideas.

That is how astronauts and creators are made.  The privilege should not, it cannot be made the monopoly of a single political party.  How then, will that artist be able to comment freely on the works of his chosen party?

Worse still, how will the public trust that the artist is honest, and not partisan or sectarian, in his or her comment on current events?

There is more to this discussion, but the space is small!  Happy New Year.