Kekana to star at the Millennium

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday January 27, 2011 00:00

 

Local artists like Punah Gabasiane and Nnunu Ramogotsi will back Kekana, who will do two sets.  Kekana was in the country towards the end of last year at the invitation of Afro jazz artist Socca Moruakgomo.  He managed to attend a tribute show for another South African singer Nana Coyote that was hosted at the Millennium. During the function, Kekana was invited on the stage to do a song or two. 

And for many of the revellers who attended the show, Kekana evoked old memories of that era when he used to stage shows in the country. This was why there was a huge demand that Kekana, who is visually impaired, should come and stage a show.  Kekana could not decline the offer because he always came to Botswana to stage shows.

In the 80s, Kekana was popular in the country as he performed at local venues.  He was one of the most popular South African artists by then.  He was particularly renowned for his Sesotho hits.   He was singing about social events in townships where black people were confined by then in South Africa. 

Ironically, when he was growing up, Kekana was never interested in becoming a musician.  His dream was to become a lawyer.  'I never believed I could become a singer.  I was reluctant to sing at school,' said Kekana in an interview last year. But he was forced by poverty to embark on a music career.  After he completing high school he could not secure a scholarship to study law. So he was forced to sing in order to fend for himself.  It turned out that Kekana was a gifted singer. 

Since then he has produced hits after hits. In fact, everything that Kekana touched turned gold. One of his songs, 'Dinyatsi' regrets that concubines can break families. There is also another song about a city slicker who is clad in a suit but the fellow does not have blankets.  'O apara sutu e mpa ga o na dikobo tsa go robala,' goes part of the lyrics of the song.   The poor chap is even ashamed to show his girlfriend his place.

Kekana started singing with Lazarus Kgagudi in 1977 with a group known as Hunters.  But Kekana later joined Emi Records where he turned into an established artist. Since 1978, Kekana has released a number of top selling albums that have helped him become a household name in the Southern African region. 

He started touring neighbouring countries like Botswana where he was and still is a popular artist.  He became a regular feature at the Gaborone Civic Centre, which used to stage live shows.  In fact Kekana's music was played everywhere even in shebeens.  Kekana has had an illustrious music career that has even taken him up to Europe.

He has also collaborated with other South African artists like PJ Powers.  But in 1994 Kekana took a break from showbiz to embark on his long held dream.  He enrolled to study for law.  Kekana has since graduated as a lawyer. Being a lawyer was a dream come true for him, but he has decided that he cannot leave music.

Last year, Kekana revealed that he would be coming to Botswana more frequently this year because he would like to collaborate on music projects with Moruakgomo.  The Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU) chief has indicated that he intends to record an album with Kekana this year.