Booster: a photographer, a businessman

MODIRWA KEKWALETSWE | Friday May 17, 2013 00:00

 

The man of many names: Booster Galesekegwe - Bucho Lesire, Buzzy T, Mr Botswana or Mzwinila. He had a grand entry at Mmegi. He was just one of the guys - young and outgoing. One of the traits that would define his short life manifested itself in his early days at Mmegi. Booster found it easy to make friends and during the course of his life, he embedded himself in the people of this country - young and old, rich and poor, the connected and the not-so-connected. He glided in and out.

He came to Mmegi during the time of great transformation for the newspaper. For starters, the term desktop publishing was becoming a reality as the newspaper was no longer carried off to the printers in hard copy. Digital files were being used. On the human resources side, Mmegi had it all: Mike Mothibi, Mesh Moeti, Bashi Letsididi and Sechele Sechele. Thus a photographer's life was that of challenge and adventure as he accompanied reporters on assignments.

Booster did not deal with these challenges alone as there was already a posse of others, the likes of Charles Simukoko, Steve Molebatsi and the fiery Snowhite Modisenyane. I must admit that when it came to shooting camera shy or aggressive accused people in the courts of law, no one was better than the only female amongst them, Snowy. She just clicked on the shutter, irrespective of the threats and insults hurled at her.

Even in this packed environment, people knew who to confide in and whom to show your best picture to. Naturally, photographers like reporters engaged in a healthy competition to make the front page. It gives one a glowing feeling the next day when the newspaper hits the stand. Money, no matter how much cannot substitute this feeling. Booster would occasionally come to show me the pictures he had taked and lobby for the front page. We would laugh as I told him that we had to wait until others returned from their assignments  to also lobby editors.

At the time, Booster had a lofty dream of cutting a hip-hop album. He also shocked all of us when he entered the Mr Botswana contest, which to date has never been held. This is where the nickname Mr. Botswana came from as we would tease him about entering this contest. In his life Booster has moved from a variety of hair-dos: dreadlocks, curls, and close shave.

Soon Booster decamped to the Botswana Guardian and we drifted apart. We would meet again at a party hosted at Stryker Motlaloso's house, which they shared. I was seated outside when he came to ask me to rescue him from Keto Segwai (KT), who wanted Booster (as the youngest amongst us) to braai kidneys on the braai stand for him. Booster reasoned that it has never been done before, but the meat-eater in KT would have none of it. Despite all the time we spent together, I can't say I knew Booster then. I came to really know him when we left the comfort of Mmegi and ventured into the unknown world - earning our livelihood via real sweat. He freelanced for Flair and we also embarked on many publications. It worked in a simple way, Booster took pictures and raised advertising from his many sources, Mesh Moeti provided text and I would put it together.

And so the relationship blossomed, but it had its thorns. At times we all lost money badly and we would quarrel.Each would promise never to work with the other and this lasted only until the next job. The business bug is such that even in times of great hardship and despair we always dreamt of that one big break.

Booster's big break 'nearly' came when he partnered with Interbrand for the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) marketing and communications job. Apparently the contract was cancelled after some influencial industry players allegedly wrote a letter of complaint to the minister responsible. During his dark days, Booster would complain bitterly, but with an air of resignation about how the whole saga had panned out. He would repeat the words 'mere photographer,' a phrase that was used in the complaint letter to butteress the fact that Interbrand did not have partners in Botswana. He loved the Botswana Democratic Party dearly and the fact that those who dismissed him also have strong connections to the party troubled him. When we told him of the bare knuckle fist fights in dog-eat-dog world of business he would just bow his head and say, 'just a mere photographer.'

Even before the Interbrand/BTC saga, Booster had made up his mind to take a break from media related businesses. He would register a company called Bamila, which wanted to take opportunities in the construction sector. This remained just a dream.We stayed in constant contact and I got to know and see his children and their mother. In one particular meeting I realised that he was not well, but he assured me that he would soon go for an operation and that all would be well. But this was never the case. The situation deteriorated further.  Matters came to a head last Saturday. As we sat down around the table that Booster would have loved to be at - the table of struggling entrepreneurs in awe of the billionaire who had come to grace the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation gala dinner, Mo Ibrahim - he was taken ill.

Reports from the hospital were painting a bleak outlook and we began to fear the worst. On Monday afternoon, Booster passed on. As Mesh broke the news to me, my mind went blank and all I could hear was the click of Booster's shutter - a reclining sound etched in memory from the many assignments we did together. It often puzzled me that Booster loved the phrase, 'Motho o itsaya dinepe,' a dismissive statement meaning that a person is lying idle, not serious or not worth any responding to. Football commentator, Mangole who used the phrase to describe a team that is not serious - and has found currency amongst us, coined the phrase.

Whenever Booster used this phrase in the presence of strangers, they would think that he wanted to photograph them and would either show signs of refusing or accepting. Bucho loved football. He supported Extension Gunners.But most of his love was reserved for Manchester United and to some extent Barcelona.

He bought many replica T-shirts and had Bucho written at the back. I can't recall when Booster missed watching a United game without a major reason. The player who divided us was the midfielder Anderson. Booster said Anderson is not a United material and wanted him sold. We begged to differ.Booster gave himself the name Bucho. This was after he watched the movie, Desparado. In the movie, there is a character called Bucho and Booster loved that guy to bits.

One thing about Booster is that he was a kind person and he had the gift of giving. Those of his friends whom he had trusted, have benefited from his kindness. Being the kind of person he was, Booster never allowed anyone to take advantage of him. He could be a hard nut to crack if need be. If he became agitated and was troubled, he would keep quiet.