Original Pantsula is back
Thalefang Charles | Friday May 5, 2017 14:23
How Kwaito killed Pantsula
This is the story of music as much as it is the story of identity and street lifestyle. The generation that came into age during the fall of apartheid in South Africa brought in new ways of self-expression in the form of kwaito music. The 1990s were glorious years when the black youth learnt to be free and made new sound, but during that euphoria of the newly-found freedom, an old township subculture of mapantsula caught the buzz that led to its death.
It was not a sudden death but more like a beautiful flower after the sunrise when mapantsula first blossomed over the new kwaito soundtrack.
The then new kids-on-the-block, Trompies, Alaska, TKZee, Mashamplani, BOP, Boom Shaka, Arthur, Mdu and Chiskop, just to name the greatest, changed the music of mapantsula. Before them mapantsula were dancing to mostly disco from the greats such as Peta Teneat, Chicco Sello Twala, Dan Tshanda’s Splash, Matshikos, Slindile, Dalom Kids, and Mercy Pakela. It was just after Brenda and the Big Dudes and Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s steam began to wane before Mabrr rose again from the crack dungeons and smashed everything with her Vulindela.
Kwaito came in the 1990s and its prophets defined their new sound as music for mapantsula even though it was different from the disco and what was traditionally identified as panstula music.
It was in one of Trompies’ most successful works featuring Fohloza hit where they sought pantsula validation and named the album ‘mapantsula’. TKZee’s banging hit Dlala Mapantsula with a beautifully shot video was an exhibition of pantsula dance also seeking some endorsement from mapantsula.
The music was good and there were the bucket hats, Dickies loose fit pants, bright coloured Hawaiian shirts in Trompies Sweety Lavo music video and All Star Converse sneakers. All those were not really an original pantsula wear, nonetheless most of the original pantsula’s jumped onto the new fad.
So when kwaito faded at the Durban beaches with the new Durban-inspired kwaito version popularised by the likes of Tira and Big Nuz, original mapantsula were left in the identity wilderness.
A cheap imitation and unruly characters posing as mapanstula rose up going by the shady name of ‘manyora’. Although kwaito hits from artists such as Thebe later cited ‘manyora’ in their songs they (manyora) did not come by as an appealing lot.
They were not ‘original pantsula’ and never got the street cred. Today the Kings of Kwaito in South Africa shoot music videos on yachts wearing flowing white clothes with women in sultry bikinis and they are seen at Umlazi’s Chesanyama hotspot Eyadini Lounge in skinny jeans and tight fitting shirts. The pantsula in them has long died.
It was against that backdrop of faded pantsula that many Batswana were heartily surprised to see a video on social media of a rather long parade of original mapantsula at Kanye last month. It was heartwarming to see that even though the panstula poster boys might have hanged their Dickies for Louis Vuitton, there are original mapantsula resuscitating the craft right here in Botswana.
A meeting of original pantsula in Thamaga
Last weekend the mapanstula staged a parade and competition at Thamaga and I was there to meet these men and (as I later discovered) women – colloquially called Bo Mshoza. I have been on Thamaga streets before, following dangerous gangs of Merubisi and Matsetsenkane who have been terrorising the villagers and returning here looking for mapantsula felt uneasy because the narrative of the birth of mapantsula in South Africa has some criminal and dangerous gangs undertones in it.
Many art historians agree that old-time original mapantsula were inspired by the notorious Sicilian Italian Mafia – mostly from the movies.
“Somebody coined it as the dance of thugs. It’s obviously part of the story of pantsula but what’s important to see is the historical context of that time,” said Daniela Goeller, who is an art historian who started Impilo Ya Mapantsula.
The elegant appearances, gang violence and street power-play has therefore always been at the core of the pantsula – but that is all history now. The pantsula I meet at these notorious Thamaga streets are peace loving very neat boys and gentlemen.
Pantsula gear
They have adopted the pre-kwaito pantsula look. Their shirts are mostly hard Dickies khaki shirts smartly tucked in a matching Dickies loose fit khaki pants, always neatly pressed and deliberately cut above the ankles to reveal the shoes – if the cut is not good enough they keep lifting their trousers from the crotch area.
The shoes are clean white Chuck Taylor’s All Star Converse sneakers, or Dickies sometimes Adidas Gazelles and Tiger Onitsuka’s Tokuten.
Some are wearing the argyle Pringle Of Scotland sweaters, others have donned the colourful Navada checked shirts with matching pants, and elegant Brentwood pants with black and white Bishops others preferred the Pembroke Crockett & Jones classics. The headgear is commonly the original Stetsons for hats, flat caps, berets and bucket hats.
The accessories are the dreaded three-star Okapi knives nicely tucked in a personalised decorated pouch and fastened onto their belts.
Some are wearing gold chains, small bow-ties, suspenders and got handkerchiefs to rub out the sweat during the dances.
Some have the Micheal Jackson inspired single white glove while others got them in both hands with stripped walking stick. There are few carrying vintage briefcases.
When they walk, they waddle immaculately like ducks and with a little coordinated jiggles like they got spring shock absorbers in their legs. It is a beautiful walk and on a parade it is even better.
They have come from around Kweneng and neighbouring districts for a parade and competition at Mosioathunya Bar at Thamaga. There are local ‘wiseguys’ like Oteng Makarimbe Basupang, Mompati Sparks Dikgomo, Tefo T-fox Phokoje and Alebakwe Hourable Jobah Ramoruswana.
Kanye has representatives led by Kamogelo Gusheshe Tshambane and from Gaborone there is Wame Bendo Ramotlhakola and Oshima Osh Mmopi. Others are from Molepolole including Phenyo Vhotshokotshoko Ramaphane and Karabo E-Clicks Mahokole while Matebeleng is represented by Edwin Muluba Mangwa and Lloyd Phona.
There is only one ‘pantsula bae’ in the parade, Pauline Mis-P Rakgogo from Metsimotlhabe. Mis-P says she has long loved mapantsula. “I’m not a tomboy, not even a strictly disco listener but I love the fashion of mapantsula. I listen to various music genres not just disco but I love the pantsula look hence I am here,” says the charming ‘mshoza’ donning Stetson flat hat, checked shirt with a bow tie, men’s Dickies pants and All Star Converse.
The parade has old-timers too – known as ‘bo grootman’. The 49-year old Ditshotlo Chillie-Pantsula Mabifi from Mogoditshane, Moduedi Di-trta Malejane (43), Thuso Patrick Blocks Boloko and Mokgweetsi Kasamo (36). These old-timers are the leaders of the movement. “We want to show these kids what Pantsula is all about,” says Malejane.
He says it is a neat worthwhile lifestyle. Malejane said, “We are about keeping clean. Wearing beautiful original labels. We are not about crime. In fact we want to rid street of crime by pantsula”
Mabifi at 49 years still moves like hyperactive teenager, although he admits he used to be “really bad” (in a cool way), says he will never forsake the pantsula. “I am a pantsula for life, around the country they know me,” he says.
Chillie-Pantsula is the type that never ran with the dead kwaito but stayed loyal to the disco that has always been a soundtrack of mapantsula.
“Right now we still dance to the classics Peta Teanet, Spenza Man, Ponka and Zangwana. We also still love Don B and obviously Splash and the whole Dalom crew forms most part of our music,” says Chillie Pantsula.
He has scheduled more parades and he revealed that on June 3 mapantsula from around the country would be invading Mogoditshane. The young mapantsula agree with their ‘grootman’ that they all now follow the disco sound. Although there are traces of old-school kwaito songs when they are on some nostalgic tip their main soundtrack is disco.
They are adamant that they would bring back the glorious 1990s back and reclaim their street cred with pantsula even without any famed pantsula stars leading the march. And nowadays with the advent of social media to drive trends, it is possible, original pantsula is back.