Sesana the rock star at BNF

| Friday July 22, 2011 00:00

 

'Ke itumelela gore be lo biditse Mosarwa go ta go le addressa (I am happy that you have invited me, a Mosarwa to come and address you),' said Sesana as he marked the preamble of his address of the Botswana Natonal Front conference in Tsabong last weekend.

It was supposed to be a short message from the famed leader of the First People of the Kalahari, but with his vast experience as a human rights activist fighting the cause of his people Sesana, the orator, took the opportunity to draw a picture of the Basarwa under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

With the BNF audience hanging on to his every word he described the abuse the Basarwa continue to experience from government officials since they won the historic case against forced relocation by government.

He said in an effort to discredit his activism, a minister whom he named, went on a disinformation drive, telling people that he is rich and using Basarwa for personal gain.

'O ntshentse leina, a re ke nna mo flateng ko Gantsi, ha Basarwa ba re bata go mpona, ba a relela ba a wa (That I live in a flat and when Basarwa want to come and see me they slip and fall as they try to climb up),' he said, throwing the audience into bouts of laughter.

Spurred by the response, the man plunged on and told them that Basarwa staying in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) have suffered untold abuse that include being beaten up like young children by police and wildlife officers.

'Ba tsere gothe le disukiri tsame. Mapodisi ba twaetse go re betas jaaka bana,' he said.

Later at the conference, Sesana told this reporter that he stays in Molapo, located inside the CKGR, but also commutes to New Xade, where one of his wives is staying with their children.

Sesana has nine children with his two wives. One of the wives stays with him in Molapo. He says because of the unavailability of health facilities in the CKGR his other wife, whose children are young and susceptible to illnesses  have to stay in New Xade, a place that he hates so much. He said it represents the heavy-handedness of government in trying to force Basarwa to abandon their culture and way of life.

'I grew up in molapo where as a small boy I set traps for birds like mekgweba (Red-crested Korhan) then I graduated to animals like diphohu (eland), then learnt to hunt dikukama (gemsbok) and all wild animals,' he said.

His activism dates back to the 1970s, when he came back from South Africa and joined the BNF, under the tutelage of the late BNF leader Dr Kenneth Koma. He went on countrywide tours with Koma in places like Kalakamati in the north-east.

The BDP has been in power for too long and is failing in its mandate, therefore it should be relieved from mantle of power, says Sesana.

Opposition cooperation is the best tool to unseat the ruling party, he said. He is however alive to the challenges of this great national project and has urged the BNF faithful and others in opposition to look at the bigger picture and soldier on to beat the BDP at the polls. The BDP government, in Sesana's view has no idea of how to develop its people, especially Basarwa. Basarwa cannot rear cattle as they have never domesticated them before, he said.

'Mosarwa ga a itse kgomo. O di bontshiwa mo koling di hologa mme ga a itse mebala ya tsone. Di tile go tsamaa tsothe. O ka se he motho selo o sa mo ruta pele gore ke eng se thokomelwa jang (Basarwa should have first been trained on how to rear these cattle),' he said.

Government, he said, should approach Baswarwa and find out how they can be assisted through development projects instead of experimenting on the people with alien cultures. 

'When a wildlife officer finds Basarwa eating a wild animal, he simply beats them up. They must teach Basarwa about the importance of tourism and the need to conserve our wildlife instead of killing them. They should tell Basarwa that wildlife attracts foreign tourists who in turn bring money into our tourism industry.

But it appears that this government is failing. Ntshang batho ba mo setilong ba lapile,' he said.

He accused president Ian Khama of straying from republicanism to a monarchy, adding that he was shocked during the recent public sector strike to see police officers shooting at strikers with guns.

Sesana's charisma was apparent at the conference as the man with the dimunitive body was asked by many if they could have their picture taken with him. They lined up for the pictures until some woman rescued him. They should leave the man alone, she told them.