Botswana's women of twerk
Kgomotso Molelekeng | Thursday October 31, 2013 15:34
Individually they go by names like Twerk Sensei, Twerk Master, Tiny Twerk, Little Miss Ass Quake, Timi Twerk and Twerk Lee. The six female college students aged between 19-22 are determined to make a name for themselves through twerking.
They do not only enjoy twerking, but also it refreshes their minds, one says. A ‘Twerk Ninja’, Poppy Sello told Showbiz that they realised the entertainment industry in Botswana lacked versatility and as a result they formed the group this year. “We wanted to do something different to stand out from the crowd because in most cases, people do the same things over and over again as a form of entertainment. This tends to be boring because people do not want to pay their hard earned cash to go see the same things they are used to. We wanted to be that X-factor and show stopper,” she explained.
She stated that though many people view twerking as too explicit and sexual-oriented, they fail to understand that it is a form of dance like any other. She said some people feel the girls dance in a sexually provocative manner, and that the attire is too reveling.
“And to avoid stigma and discrimination, we came to a conclusion that for now, the ladies will perform wearing masks to protect their identity. Batswana are very sceptical when it comes to issues like these, they label people with nasty names and this is not good for our brand,” she said.
Although some people are still against twerking, Sello said that surprisingly, they have been receiving a lot of support from Batswana. “They always love our performances, they cannot get enough of us and some advice us to continue twerking as they see a bright future for us. I believe we have given a lot of confidence and opened doors for other twerkers out there. For us to do this professionally shows them (twerk fans) that they too can shine doing what they are talented in,” she said.
The Twerk Ninja’s fanbase is slowly but surely growing as their Facebook page (BW Twerk Ninjas) is currently sitting on 1,000 likes. Sello is confident that in two months, the number will have trippled. Their uploaded videos on YouTube are some of the most watched.
The group burst onto the entertainment scene at a beer feast at Bojanala Waterfront when they gave a breath-taking performance. The twerkers caused a stir when they appeared at K-Bos’ album launch. This Saturday, they will be in action at Kast’s album launch. “People should come and witness a new revolution that will go down in the books of history on Saturday,” said Sello.
The young women are billed to perform against the South African Pro-Twerkers before the end of the year. “We are still waiting for the actual date when they will be ready to come and compete with us because we challenged them for a contest. Overall, people should always watch the space and keep their eyes and ears open because we are here to stay,” Sello said.