Safety and Music in Botswana (Jan 27, 2006)

Who knew that Batswana crowds could be so dangerous! Now I don’t think I will ever be able to dance again with crowds for fear of being attacked. My dancing certainly could use some improvement, but still…

Why Was Vee Assaulted?

Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
January 12, 2006 Posted to the web January 12, 2006
Ephraim Keoreng

In what seems to be an increasingly growing culture of hooliganism, artistes are being harassed and sometimes beaten up at shows. On the last weekend of the year, Botswana's loved Kwaito sensation, Odirile "Vee" Sento, was beaten up at a show in Kasane.

The ever-hyper muso was scheduled to play at the show alongside Chilly Segona - a newcomer in the music industry - and Cultural Spears, a three member group, which is quickly endearing itself to the hearts of music fanatics. Vee's manager, Zenzele Hirchfield said that she was shocked by the gang who mobilised the crowd to beat up the House-Kwaito star.

"It was quite clear that other artists would open up the stage and Vee would perform later. In all the shows we have been staging, there have never been any complaints regarding this. But what happened in Kasane is something beyond my comprehension. You could see that something was wrong. The crowd, influenced by a group of men, harassed artistes who were supposed to warm up the stage for Vee," she said. Though she was not sure of the real cause of the disorder, she pointed an accusing finger at the organiser of the event whom she said has never organised a show before. She said he failed to foresee the disaster or even guard against it by hiring a sizeable security team.

"They were not able to contain the mob and later the crowd who had gone on a murderous frenzy," she said. Hirchfield says that it was a pity that unscrupulous characters masquerading as promoters and organisers, only to spoil the shows, are infiltrating the music industry. "These fly by night organisers pose a serious threat to the industry. Out to make a quick buck, they fail to fulfil requirements such as security and other measures needed to ensure successful shows.