Ridiculed, frustrated but Sespo stays strong

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer | Thursday August 1, 2013 00:00

This is the message in one of his songs in the upcoming album. The chorus of the pop-reggae number goes, 'Noma benga thini, ngizo bekesela'. Sespo has not allowed his disability to get in the way of his dream, a dream to be a disco musician of note whose composition would be able to make people embrace life and its challenges.Although he is not among the best vocalists to come out of Botswana, he has proven his prowess when it comes to playing musical instruments, especially mastering the keyboard.This new offering is a demonstration of good skill in playing the instrument by the musician and fellow artist and friend Frederick Ntongwa. The two co-produced the album with Tando Zinto.

'Fred is actually the one who unearthed my talent because I had just thought of myself as a good dancer, nothing else,' he said.In one of the tracks Sespo salutes his friends who stood by him when he lost his sight in 1989.'It sort of happened in a strange way. One evening while with a friend at home in Malaka my eyes just went blank and I thought he had put off the lamp and funny he thought I was joking when I told him I could not see.Doctors confirmed later that my nerves were damaged beyond repair and that was it,' he recalled.

Sespo, who used to be a band member of the later disco sensation Don B (Donald Botshelo) at Pudulong Rehabilitation Centre in Mochudi, co-founded another disco band, Lentswe la Batlhokapono, along side Ntongwa,Thomas Phemelo and Nelson De Kork. They are all blind, hence the name of their band.With his debut album on its final stages of production, Sespo still insists Lentswe la Batlhokapono would not disband.'That is just growth, I needed to show people what I was capable of as solo performer but there is no way I would let my brainchild die,' he said.

Proud of his roots the music in Sespo's debut album comes in different languages - from Setswapong, English to Zulu - something, which he believes, would make it easier for his followers to connect with his music.'I want to reach out to almost every corner, it makes it good for disco music to sing in various languages, you do not need to know the language to enjoy the music,' he said.