Mmegi

Swabi reflects on a 40-year musical legacy

Swabi reflects on a 40-year musical legacy
Swabi reflects on a 40-year musical legacy

In the early 1960s, George Swabi had little more than his voice and a homemade Setinkane. But an impromptu visit to Radio Botswana a decade later would change his life forever. This week, SHARON MATHALA visited the legendary musician at his Palapye home, where the Serowe-born artist reflected on a career that possibly helped shape Botswana’s traditional music landscape

Though old age has crept in, Swabi’s frail appearance is deceptive as his energy remains strikingly youthful; his storytelling is animated by decades of lived experience. When asked whether he is ready to hang up the microphone, he pauses briefly and answers.

“Very soon, actually. I don’t think that by next year, I will still be able to perform. The years have passed, but music is the only thing I know, you know,” he said.

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