The write-up below has resulted from a chat-cum-interview I had had with the Marobela-based music icon, Ndingo Johwa, after he had put up a successful Christmas Day show (that also featured Lister Boleseng) which I briefly attended at the Greenland Leisure Farm at Woodlands, a few kilo meters out of Francistown on the Maun road.
Perhaps I should preface this write-up by mentioning that I became acquainted with Johwa, aka Satjilombe, aka Tshwene ya Rodwe during the process of the publication of a book titled Lips & Pages: Botswana Traditional Music as Socio-Political Commentary (published by Pentagon Publishers in 2010) which I co-edited with R.O.B. Nhlekisana and Ndana Ndana. In this book Johwa features prominently in an article I co-authored with P.W. Mwikisa titled: ‘Working the Fields Alone: Women’s Experiences of Colonialism in Botswana Songs of the Migrant Labour Era’.
This time around, however, the chat-cum-interview presented below was more or less inspired by Kgosi Ngakaagae’s article that has done the rounds on social media following Zodwa Wabantu’s explosive saga in Botswana. Ngakaagae’s self-explanatory title is: ‘PROSECUTE LYING PROMOTERS’.
I must declare upfront that my role here is, and has only been, that of a mere pen holder and a structural agent (presentation-wise) whose duty has been to jot down Satjilombe’s ideas and arguments without in any way diluting them with any kind of interpretation or comment. Suffice to say that Satjilombe expresses his views on the evolution of Botswana’s music from being free-of-charge, non-commercial compositions by pioneers in the likes of bo-Ratsie Setlhako to the business minded and intellectual property-conscious musicians of today; the uneasy relationship between performing artists and their promoters; the role of overseer bodies; and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And, thus, speaks Satjilombe:
The Case of the Pioneering Legends
“Our legends, bo-Ratsie Setlhako, Nduna Poifho and many others were in the industry not for business but they had passion for the music. Even if they had wished to turn their music into businesses it would not have been feasible at the time.
“Our music was not even popular until after independence when Radio Botswana started operating and it was staffed with the likes of Nonie Pilane. Still there were no royalties paid out to musicians. The music was just played for free and between 1960 and 1990 the industry was dominated by foreign musicians like Mahlatini, Mahotela Queens, Miriam Makeba and others.
“Then came the sensational Khanda Bongoman!”
(Were there no local bands?)
“There were local bands and good musicians but their music was diluted by the then popular South African Mpaqanga music; the waist swagging Kwasa Kwasa; and Chimurenga. This made the music lose taste”.
Local Performing Artists Treated like Cheap Beggars
(And just how profitable is the music industry in Botswana currently?)
“Our population may be so small that it can hardly support our music industry, but my experience has been that some promoters care very little about the welfare of local artists.
“The verb promote in this context should be understood to mean helping an artist to grow while at the same time s/he should be using his/her works to make profit”.
(Any actual examples whereby artists were financially disadvantaged?)
“I have worked with several promoters who would pay me a quarter of what they paid a foreign artist. A contract would be designed with connotations of ‘take it or leave it’; and as a local you would be so eager to get more experience that you would actually sign the contract and accept an insulting fee while the promoter enjoys a handsome profit.
“Recently in Francistown and at Domboshaba many of our local artists, including myself, were treated like cheap, poor musician beggars who perform in the streets for 25 thebe (0.0025 cent USA) per song and later sleep under a cardboard box near a dust bin to wait for someone to throw away some leftover food which would then serve as their meal.”
(Really?)
“Yes, that is the honest truth. Actually many of us were told to come early and that our contracts and deposits would be on site together with copies of the programme attached. However, the performance schedule would only be shown on the show’s posters.
“And foreign performers were given prime time while locals would be called to perform at 4 o’clock in the morning or made to wait for some six hours in order for the main actor to perform first. In short, the locals would be called to perform after everyone would have gone; and the promoter’s number would report ‘not available’. By then you would only see their pathetic stage managers yawning and everyone would be lamenting that they had not been paid”.
Role of Regulatory/Overseer Bodies
“The current COSBOTS board members and management are trying to do a very good job but they lack the capacity to collect royalties from many users.
“There are bars and restaurants, including some DJs, who are big users of local composers’ works yet they are not registered or licensed to pay royalties. I don’t understand why practitioners from various artistic disciplines are not registered with COSBOTS. Can CIPA step up and correct such an anomaly?
“We also hear of other anomalies such as instances of conflict of interest and that of over-employment of non-indigenous people who would then be charged with the sensitive responsibility of authenticating our traditional music. If this is indeed true, then it is not right”.
Covid-19 Related Challenges
“My biggest challenge and that of all other musicians is that the damage inflicted by Covid-19 on the music industry makes it difficult to plan for new projects. Nevertheless, I recently managed to record a Covid-war video that I hope to be launching soon and I expect that both the government and private entities will find it useful as a tool for creating and maintaining awareness in relation to the pandemic; and that this might help throw a few Pulas into my pocket”.
Some Concluding Suggestions
“I wish to conclude by the following suggestions:
• As we all know, President Masisi constantly talks about therisanyo. It is my view, therefore, that as a way of trying to mitigate against a majority of the challenges local performing artists confront on a daily basis, promoters and performing artists (especially musicians) should have an indaba so that the right hand might know what the left hand is holding
• In order for anybody to succeed in any business endeavour, they need partnership; so in a country that has a small population like ours, collaboration among performing artists is the way to go
• Education is the key to success; so overseer bodies like COSBOTS, BOMU and BWMB need to create consultative forums where they could run seminars and workshops to educate members about issues affecting their businesses, and CIPA should ensure that COSBOTS functions in line with the expectations of its members
• There is a social media group called COSBOTS Concerned Members. Its members are unhappy with the way COSBOTS operates. Therefore, the members’ concerns need to be addressed
• The current talk regarding efficiency in business is about knowledge-based operations; so let us place professionals in the right positions so we can ask questions and get answers
• Politics; corruption; and nepotism should be annihilated from professional operations
Satjilombe’s Own Effort to Assist Local Artists
“My wish is to change the mindset of the local performing artists by offering them the dignity they deserve. However, I also wish I could find a sponsor in the likes of Mascom for that would boost the music industry, especially in the north. All the same I intend to use my company, Satjilombe Music Production, to promote our local artists before I venture into bringing in foreign artists.
“I started with Lister Boleseng and Arthur Mengwe during the festive season and the collaboration worked well. This time on the cards is the ‘My Star’ winner, Sharon Sbongile, who is expected to perform at a [post] Valentine show at the Sebina Jazz Garden by the Sebina Junction on 26 February 2022. My fans can expect more similar shows; and Shumba Lodge in Tutume is another possible venue for our shows.
“Finally, my prayer is: may the anomalies bedevilling the local performing arts be corrected so we can all succeed exponentially
