Also known as Tau Ya Setso in the local poetry space, Ontuetse explained that he grew up in a traditional family with his grandfather tending to the family cattle.
He said his grandfather used to praise his cattle through poetry, which inspired him to be an equally talented poet as his grandfather. He pointed out that he liked folklore poetry because he enjoyed the rich Setswana language as it makes him feel rejuvenated and gives him a sense of belonging and dignity. “I started doing poetry when I was doing Standard 7 in 2002 and the public really loved it and urged me to do it more often. My memorable performance was when I was still in my junior secondary school where I was a Form 1 student and I scooped position one at a Setswana fair.
I still remember it as if it was yesterday because it was my first time competing in poetry. My other memorable performance was in 2016 when I scooped position one at the National Presidential Competitions,” he said.
He further explained that the topics he chooses for his poems normally relate to the occasion or theme of the day even though they were strictly focused on teaching or spreading information.
He added that even though he had not performed internationally, he would like to showcase his poetry talent internationally preferably in Lesotho and South Africa because they like tradition. Tau Ya Setso further explained that he also looks up to local and international folklore poets. He added that he would like to one day publish poetry books and Setswana novels.
