Mmannyeu�s tent collapses
Thursday, July 03, 2014
The title track of her debut album Tante E Ole sounds innocent with the lyrics; “thusang ka kwano/ thusang Ra-Refilwe, tante e ole/motse wa thubega/kgarametsa hela/ iteke rra balekane bagago båa tsoga ba go tshega/bare o paletswe ke lwapa’. In the second verse she sings: ‘bogolo leka ka kereke/ eya dingakeng/ re age lelwapa.”
This song about a man whose marriage is threatened by erectile dysfunction. The concerned wife is pleading with her husband to seek help through prayer, or even traditional medicine to revive his manhood. She even threatens to leave if the problem persists. The same cheeky lyrical antics can be heard in the third track Majita.
It is a warning flare to every Motswana who logs onto social media. As a country, we have reached a point where the line between robust debate and outright destruction has become dangerously blurred. At face value, Mabeo’s response, which seeks an apology and threat of a defamation suit, might seem severe to some. But we cannot ignore the context. The comment in question did not offer a policy critique or question a political decision.It...