One does not need to look any further than the fiasco of the weekend at the Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU) Awards. What was supposed to be the pinnacle event of the year to recognise the artists who have made a sterling contribution over the past 12 months turned into a circus of the season. No doubt, Botswana musicians have over the past years worked so hard to extend the musical frontiers, but they continue to get a raw deal from those entrusted to take care of their welfare.
At the BOMU awards, Botswana's musical export to Europe - Norway to be precise - Banjo Mosele was the toast of the night when his widely played Ntswa E Jele Ntswanyana was crowned Song of the Year. No less than BOMU secretary general handed the award to Banjo's proxy - Malombo. Malombo and Banjo's fans must have celebrated that their song made it to the big league. But the celebrations were short-lived, thanks to a goof by BOMU. About 24 hours later, BOMU president Socca Moruakgomo, was on national television saying they blundered and gave the award for the wrong number. He said Ntsa E Jele Ntsanyana was mistakenly crowned Song of the Year and the honour should have gone to 'Khudu' by Culture Spears. Moruakgomo stated that the award will be given to Culture Spears.Many will agree that these are two popular songs and either one of them could have won the award. But this is not the point. We have absolutely no qualms with adjudicators deciding which song wins the award. We, however, have every problem with the wrong announcement made on the night and this goes uncorrected for the rest of the live coverage of the awards only for those in charge to make an about-face almost 24 hours later.
