On July 10 2005 Botswana was exultant as 19-year-old Kaone Kario put the country on the map, becoming the first Motswana woman to receive the Nokia Face of Africa crown.
She followed on the heels of Mpule Kwelagobe who in 1999, similarly as a 19-year-old, had made history as the first Motswana woman not only to appear at the Miss Universe pageant but win it as well.
“Kario has shown that becoming an international model is no longer just a dream but a reality for youths looking for a role model,” Mpule the icon said of Kario Koane in August 2005.
Almost a decade later, at 28-years-old and as a runway sensation based in New York, Kario recently posted on her Facebook page that she would “never open a modelling agency in Botswana.”
That post touched off a hailstorm of comments on her Facebook page as former avid fans condemned her, while others supported her decision as being purely her own to make.
The “I will never open a modelling agency in Botswana” post shifted the ‘likes’ on Kario’s Facebook page from about 1,000 to a whopping 8,000 ÔÇô from two people talking about it to some 2,000 people, and probably more, debating the issue.
“I didn’t see that one coming,” Kario posted in the wake of the storm of protests. “I’m sorry for the hurt feelings. It still doesn’t change the fact that, right now, at this stage in my life, I have no intention of ever running the business of a model agency. There are so many other different ways that I will and can contribute to the fashion industry at home.”
There were two sides to the debate about whether Kario had snubbed Botswana by making that decision. And in between there were those who commented just to sneer.
“Kante Kaone Kario ke mang? (read as who the heck does she think she is?)” read a sarcastic post on the debate.
Those who supported her decision were unanimous that the decision was hers to make.
“You said nothing wrong, people did not understand your first post,” read a post supporting her. “You simply said you aren’t intending to open an agency in Botswana and not that you are not proud to be a Motswana. So people should respect that because you have your dreams to fulfil and not be forced into opening an agency when you aren’t ready to.”
There is a parallel argument to the howls of outrage over Kario’s post. It concerns the grievance from those in the arts, performance and fashion industries about the lack of support by the government and the corporate sector.
When Brand Botswana recently brought in American rapper Jefery ‘Ja Rule’ Akins and paid him $23 000 to market Botswana’s the diamond, it drew howls similar outrage. The issue was as much about the rapper’s felonies as government decision to ignore Batswana icons.
“If there is need for someone in America to market our diamonds, it would have made better sense to empower the likes of Kario,” said Khwezi, a rapper and muralist based in Gaborone, and one of Botswana’s St Louis Export top 40 under 40 finalists.
For many though, the argument against Kario’s decision is that while Batswana celebrities get frustrated about the situation at home, it does not make sense to flee and never come back home.
The question arose: celebrities in other countries have worked hard to pave the way for those coming after them, if Botswana’s already fragile arts and culture society disappears to serve foreign communities, what is left with?
One post perhaps put the furore on Kario into perspective: “This was kitchen table talk girl…this was not something you were supposed to Facebook. You should have kept your mouth closed on this one.”
