The poet with a silver tongue
Friday, June 19, 2015
Baareng reciting one of her poems
Suddenly people look around, struck by the beautiful words hallowing from the distance.
The trepidation breaks into ululations of approval from a contingent of women in the gathered crowd at the Bakwena main kgotla as the little figure gradually approaches.
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...