Mapantsula stage debut competition
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Sunday January 29, 2023 06:00
The event will start with regional competitions from February 4 to April 1, 2023 while the National championships will be held on April 8. The ministry has sponsored the competitions to the tune of P400,000.
In an interview with Arts & Culture, Head of Project and Programmes who is also the Acting Secretary-General of the association, Laki Kedumele said the idea came about after their initial proposal to be included in the National Arts Festival was turned down by the parent ministry. “We wanted to be part of the President’s Competitions.
However, the ministry said it was not possible so we came up with this initiative and gave them a proposal which they liked,” said Kedumele. He explained that the competitions are also geared towards driving away their members from engaging in social ills that continue to derail the country.
“Most of our members come from these so-called township places and are associated with a lot of social ills. We want to drive them away from these social ills and we believe with these prizes, they may be able to do something better with their lives,” he said.
Kedumele said the competition will pit dance groups and individual dancers across their 47 branches from five regions. The regions include Gaborone, Southern, Kweneng, Central and Northern.
The first regional competition will be held on February 4 at Gabane. Among the groups that will compete are Tru Pantsula, Original Pantsula, Broadhurst, Zola, Mankgodi, Razi Original Pantsulas, Mochudi, City Olas, Metsimotlhabe and Gabane. The next regional competition will be held in Palapye on February 18 while for Kweneng it will be held on March 18.
The last regional competition will be in Francistown on April 1, just a week before the finals. Kedumele explained that the competitions are divided into categories of groups and solo dancers.
He said only regional winners will proceed to the National Championships. The group dancers who get position two and three from the region will be consoled with P1,000 and P5,000 respectively while the solo dancers from the region who get position two and three will walk away with P5,000 and P3,000 respectively.
The national championship winners from the group dancers category will walk away with P25,000 while position two and three will take P20,000 and P15,000 respectively. Position five and six will each receive P10,000 and P5,000. For the solo dancers’ category, the eventual winners will receive P10,000 while the second and third runner ups will take P8,000 and P6,000 respectively.
Those in position four and five will be rewarded with P4,000 and P2,000 respectively. Over the years, the Pantsula movement has gained more recognition in the country and in the process are attracting more members to their fold. Their members are known for always turning on the style with their usual regalia of Dickies, Khaki shirts smartly tucked in and matching Dickies loose fit khaki pants neatly pressed complete with white gloves on, while others carry their walking sticks or batons.
Mapantsula, as they are commonly called, have a unique dancing style. It is said that the Pantsula movement originated in Johannesburg in the 1950 during the Apartheid era. Pantsula flourished in townships as diverse groups of men from different communities and tribal groups came together to communicate their shared experiences of Apartheid through dance.
While Pantsula has been associated with thuggery, these days it is a modern dance form pushing itself away from its dark past and stereotypes.