Gale Ngakane
1 August 2007
Francistown — Francistown looks set to cement its reputation as the capital destination for fake products, where a DVD and CD featuring Vee, one of Botswana's iconic musical figures, are going for a song.
Botswana's Kwasa/kwaito sensation, Vee aka Odirile Sento would kick himself in frustration were he to know that a song by Exodus, in which he prominently features, is contained in a DVD and CD that are selling for a mere P6 at an electronic shop (name withheld) on Blue Jacket Street.
The song Masupatsela is number four on the playlist of the DVD and CD which are packed with pulsating beats from South African popular acts like Mafikizolo, Malaika, Bujo Mojo and others.
Since the beginning of the month, the shop, which also deals in other fake DVDs and CDs, has been playing the title track, "Baby Crying Remix" on a daily basis.
During a snap survey, Mmegi established that both the DVD and CD are also selling like hot fat cakes at other Chinese shops in Francistown's Main Mall.
The music disks are actually priced P18, but during the survey this writer posed as a trader, looking for 80 DVDs and CDs to buy.
A shop manager, of Asian origin, told me that he could only sell me 70 at P6 per disc. I was "buying" them on the assumption that I would sell them for between P15 and P20, which are the prices in the shops. (In a normal setting, a CD fetches P60 while a DVD goes for P100).
He indicated that he gets most of his supplies from a Zimbabwean who "drops in once in a while".
"I do not know when he is going to come here again. He never leaves a forwarding address. Otherwise I would have given you his number so that you can contact him directly," said the manager.
In a shop, still on Blue Jacket Street, emblazoned "WELCOME TO CHINA SHOP" on the entrance, a Motswana shop assistant, when asked for a DVD called Baby Crying, dutifully fished it out from among other fake DVDs.
Requested to play it on the shop's DVD player she readily inserted it. The DVD, on whose sleeve is written A Journey of Musical Discovery, is packed with pulsating tunes from popular music outfits.
First on the play list was the Baby Crying Remix, which shows a gyrating white toddler who gives way to a skidding motorcar that instantly changes into a human robot and then green hippopotamus mascot doing "ma-get down".
Second on the play list is Sister Bettina (by Magarimbe), subsequently is Malaika and then Mafikizolo.
Vee wa Mampela with the Exodus dancers are fourth with their popular Masupatsela with their body-jerking dance moves. Bojo Mujo is featured twice with songs entitled A reyeng and Mojo. There is also Thina Sobabili by Mdu.
To prove how fake they are, among other things, the DVDs and CDs are inside handwritten envelopes.
At the first shop of the investigation, where only the DVD remained, it is issued inside a sleeve with a photocopied picture of the dancing toddler. Prints on the sleeve are smudged as well.
Also, there is no play list on the sleeve. So, unless you play the DVD or CD, you would not know the contents. Some pictures appear hazy as well.
It appears also, that a person must have patiently sat down to record the songs on television. In most of the songs, the SABC 1 logo is prominently displayed on the left-hand corner of the television screen. Mafikizolo was dubbed on Channel O where the O appears above heads of a bevy of beauties featured in the song.
The Exodus musical has been dubbed from Botswana Television (Btv), as the familiar logo appears prominently on the left upper corner of the screen.
Some time ago, musicians, notably Alfredo Mos, raided some outlets in Francistown confiscating hundreds of fake DVDs and CDs.
Mmegi, however, could not reach either Vee, or any recording musician to find out what action they would take against people who flagrantly rob them of the fruits of their artistic talents.
On being contacted, Botswana Music Union (BOMU) spokesperson Nkgopolang Tlhomelang said they were aware of widespread pirating, not only in Francistown, but all over the country.
"We have come to realise that it is mostly the Chinese who are involved in duplicating our efforts. I believe the Chinese Embassy should be approached to be requested to intervene. Otherwise, some Batswana would soon take the law into their hands, and when they do that they may be accused of being xenophobic," said Tlhomelang.
Tlhomelang is however puzzled by police response to the problem. He said when Mosimanegape reported the pirates to the police; they seemed to treat him lightly.
"They said they know nothing about copyright," said Tlhomelang.
But in the same breath, he said the upper hierarchy of the police establishment seemed to be accommodative since they are now studying the amended Copyright Act.
In accordance with the Act, according to Tlhomelang, a culprit can be charged up to P45, 000 depending on the severity of the crime or if he or she is a repeat criminal. He said there was an incident recently in Mogoditshane where some pirates were detained.
Francistown Central police station commander Superintendent Mokuedi Mphathi told Mmegi that what the shops are doing was criminal.
"They know that what they are doing is a crime.
As the police, we do not have to go around telling people that what they are doing is a crime," he said, promising to take action against perpetrators.
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