Why 2019 elections already feel like they don't matter
I have written about how the British colonial administration prepared us for our very first General Elections of 1965 here, in the northern part of the then Bakhwanaland (correct spelling of "Bechuanaland") Protectorate. An educational film was released, in which the main actors were a couple - Mosupi and his wife (Mosupi ne nkadzi uwe). The only Tswana language word in that whole half hour or so film was "Mosupi". Everything else was in Kalanga language. The couple's clothing was blue-themed as is our flag. Our elections' colours have stayed the same colour for every election since; until the current election registration exercise changed them to red! And of course the 1965 elections were the last to address Kalangas in Kalanga language. Our "independent" Republic government has since banned Kalanga language.
So when I recently saw the red elections advertisement billboard, emblazoned with the word "iketleetse" in central Masunga town, I decided to test the board's effectiveness in communicating the elections' message to the target audience. I approached an old lady vendor who sells her wares in the town square overlooked by the billboard, and without looking at the billboard, I asked her what the word "iketleetse" means.
"Hatizi, hakuto dwiwa ku keta?" was her baffled response. She did not even look in the direction of the board. This lady was not illiterate, I verified.
I walked to the other side of the parking lot, and asked a middle aged lady there, what the meaning of the word "iketleetse" is. "I kitili, hedzi" was her innocent reply. She also did not look at the board, suggesting that she did not even know where I might have seen the word.
When I left that Masunga central mall, I was feeling drained; drained of pride, drained of belonging, drained of "patriotism". How does anybody consider it right to use my tax dollars to put up an advert in the centre of town, about forthcoming elections, in a language that neither I nor others directly targeted by the advert understand? What sort of democracy is this?
Needless to say, I have not subsequently bothered to find out what the meaning of "iketleetse" is. For me it is as meaningless as the election it purports to advertise.
So when I recently saw the red elections advertisement billboard, emblazoned with the word "iketleetse" in central Masunga town, I decided to test the board's effectiveness in communicating the elections' message to the target audience. I approached an old lady vendor who sells her wares in the town square overlooked by the billboard, and without looking at the billboard, I asked her what the word "iketleetse" means.
"Hatizi, hakuto dwiwa ku keta?" was her baffled response. She did not even look in the direction of the board. This lady was not illiterate, I verified.
I walked to the other side of the parking lot, and asked a middle aged lady there, what the meaning of the word "iketleetse" is. "I kitili, hedzi" was her innocent reply. She also did not look at the board, suggesting that she did not even know where I might have seen the word.
When I left that Masunga central mall, I was feeling drained; drained of pride, drained of belonging, drained of "patriotism". How does anybody consider it right to use my tax dollars to put up an advert in the centre of town, about forthcoming elections, in a language that neither I nor others directly targeted by the advert understand? What sort of democracy is this?
Needless to say, I have not subsequently bothered to find out what the meaning of "iketleetse" is. For me it is as meaningless as the election it purports to advertise.
Comments
Post a Comment