01 Aug 2018

The spirit of volunteerism has always been one of the pillars that Batswana adhered to in order to uplift those challenged in different aspects of life.

Although the spirit seems to be fading away due to different reasons, some still have a strong belief in it and continue to uphold it.

One such is Mr Gift Malunga, 35, who works with some out of school youth on a voluntary basis to inspire and encourage them to achieve their goals of becoming reputable musicians. 

In an interview, Mr Malunga noted that he chose to work with out of school youth to keep them meaningfully engaged to help them keep away from the streets.

He noted that he specialises in teaching them music vocals, how to play instruments such as the keyboard, drums, tambourines, guitars and several other aspects of music.

“Most of the out of school youth are talented in music and have a strong desire to take a leap of faith in the industry. However lack of motivation always cripples them,” he said.

He also said he has made an observation that though some of the youth were passionate about music, they do not have access to the relevant instruments and other necessities for training and could not afford to purchase such.

As such, Mr Malunga said he formed a social club dubbed: ‘School of Arts’ with the intention to create a platform that would enable those challenged to pursue their dreams towards music.

“Music is not only about entertainment, it is a means of communication that gives out various messages, however failure to execute it in a meaningful way simply means one is just travelling a gloomy journey,” he said.

Mr Malunga indicated that when helping the youth, he always emphasised the need for them to understand the notes, tunes and vibes they wished to follow.

He also said he called for determination, focus and clear goals, saying such goes a long way to help one achieve the desired goals.

“To engage in music is not as easy as others might perceive, it is not just about singing and recording. This requires discipline, patience and a good deal of creativity,” he said.

Mr Malunga also noted that he encouraged the youth to stick to the basics of acceptable stage conduct, a tolerable and respectable approach whenever they were performing.

He also said when composing songs, he encouraged them to use simple language that the audience could easily relate to.

He shared that he has been exposed to music from a tender age, as he grew up surrounded by musicians.

Mr Malunga also shared that he appreciated all the support he has received from the office of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown East, Mr Billy Buti, which helped him reach his dreams, as such he felt the need to work closely with the out of school youth to help them identify their potentials.

“MP Buti has helped me in a notable way to finally achieve my dreams in relation to music and other social life aspects, as such I will be selfish if I fail to encourage some youth realise their talents, which they can use to better their standards of living,” he said.

Mr Malunga operates from his house in Francistown and due to the demands of his services; he has also rented out another house at Donga to help more youth.

He noted that he currently has 20 youth under his wing who were scheduled to come for practices at different intervals. ENDS