The spirit of Makgapha
Tshireletso Motlogelwa | Friday April 4, 2014 12:43
As Sakarea Makgapha left this world for the hearafter sometime between end of Sunday and beginning of Monday, his stories became more alive on the pages The Sunday Standard. The Sunday publication, media exprts have said, is best placed to enter consciousness for it is eaten at a slow pace, accompanied by jazz and a glass of wine in an upscale joint, or on the dusty streets of a ghetto car wash where majita and mazoti park their cars for cleaning and debate the latest story in the paper.
Therefore it is irrelevant what Makgapha’s physiological exsietnce was up to, this past Sunday, for, in the coming Sundays until the end of this world the stories and what they inspire and animate within the consciousness of those blessed to encounter them, will live forever.
Makgapha’s story would have sprouted into the eyes and the brains of those who devour such tales, and indeed animated some consciousness, influenced some future thought. The story in a way is both a mark of the futility of our mortality as writers, and indeed outer lightning rod against the ravages of mortality to which ordinary mortals fall.
In other words when Gideon Nkala writes about the demise of Louis Nchindo, he does not just immortalise that giant character in the history of our social discourse but immortalises himself as the writer, for the story will outlive both, and is meant to outlive both, and decades from now, when Outsa Mokone is a troublesome old man with his top hat cocked to the side, the story of his shrinking president, will be louder than both the writer and the alleged shrinking president.
This week Spencer Mogapi was in his element, speaking on behalf of The Speaker, who also this week has been in her element, speaking the unspoken in the corridors of power. It is true that when both Spencer and the Speaker speak no more, their accounts, and encounter, and the result of their encounter will live forever, until of course forever ends.
Which brings us to this point then, is Makgapha’s departure a time for mourning or a time to celebrate?. My take is that, it is a time to celebrate this young life, which came to symbolise to some current editors, the hopes of this industry.
Makgapha was what editors often dread but also love in a young reporter. He was nerdy to the point of illegality. He was confident to the point of brash arrogance. He knew his thing, as the Hip Hop heads would call it. But Makgapha respected the art of gathering knowledge. He knew what was useful to know and use, what was useful to know and discard and what was useless and he made sure you knew it too if he felt you did not know it.
So as we stand here we need to recall what soul we are celebrating. We should ponder if Makgapha, the way we knew him, would prefer us to mope and mourn, albeit for a good reason. Makgapha would prefer that we do something useful with this time – debate the state of self regulation, invite Duma Boko and Dumelang Saleshando for a town hall debate, march on Government Enclave.
But are we here, mourning his departure? Lets do him a favour, if anything, celebrate the work he put into this society. Perhaps if there is anything to take away from his brief episode in the eternal life that is Makgapha’s it is this – we have to get on with it. He would not let us have it any other way.
In fact I have a feeling if this was left to Zakes he probably would have preferred the constitutionality of Mma Moitoi’s sudden appointment to the Ministry of Education as a consultant or whatever she is. That was Zakes and, thank God, that is Zakes for he is here, tomorrow and forever in these debates and these stories and these thoughts we hold. Intellectually arrogant. Informed. Go well Zakes.
*Tshireletso Motlogelwa is the chairman of the Press Council of Botswana and outgoing Editor of Mmegi.