18 Mar 2013

It was all joy in Seolwane as people were treated to songs, dance, poetry and drama during the Tswapong North constituency arts competitions held over the weekend.

Held under the theme: Maropeng go a boelwa, go sa boelweng ke maleng, revelers were left calling for more although the small community hall in Seolwane proved to be an obstacle as some participating groups could not freely express themselves due to limited space.

Although the poets found it accommodative, choirs, traditional dance and drama required more space, especially the latter due to their props. Further, the hall could only accommodate little audience and as the proceedings continued, they eventually left little room for the judges.

From the participants, it was also clear that not all of them understood the meaning of the theme, taken from a Setswana proverb. While others tried to stick to it, others were completely lost, misinterpreted the proverb. The first category to start the competitions was the choirs and this had more participating groups than any other with six groups.

It was also a confusing category as two groups share a name with a slight difference: Danger and Dangers. First to hit the stage was Danger Choir from Tsetsebjwe with their song Boela gae. Although the singing was good and the message was clear, it seemed they did little preparation as they kept repeating a verse and chorus.

The second group was Hilux from Manaledi who were totally out of topic with their song ‘Tshepi’ as it called for children to respect their elders. Dangers, from Matolwane, upped the competition and are the only group to receive standing ovation at the end of their exhilarating performance.

Their voices were clear, they articulated the message well, and further, they did not repeat verses. Another factor that added a bonus was their dancing and they also tried to keep in line with the theme.

Maunatlala’s Lotsane Choir found it difficult to keep the momentum and by the time Rangers choir took over the stage, Hilux’s performance was still on the minds of the audience. Rangers’ tone was low but however they mesmerised their audience with their dancing skills.

The last choir was Danger from Ratholo who called upon Batswana to return to their roots. There was a sole performer in Segaba category, and Ms Matshetshe Tsheko from Lerala was a winner.

However, the guitarists were forced to perform solely for the judges due to lack of sufficient equipment. A microphone was used but the sound was not clear hence the decision.

Lefofa Theatre Group from Maunatlala did not disappoint; although the small stage resulted with over-crowding of props especially in a gambling scene.  ENDS