Lekopanye Mooketsi
8 July 2009
Without any local drama episodes on Botswana Television (Btv), the Botswana Police crime educational programme, Itshireletse, has become a popular "soapie".
Although it is meant to be an educational programme, the show has become popular because of the manner in which the actors dramatise the scenes. They make the programme appealing so it can attract the targeted audience.
Every fortnight Sunday, Btv viewers look forward to the programme. Some of the police officers on the programme act like criminals and you would not believe the guys are police officers impersonating tricksters who swindle unsuspecting people of their hard earned cash.
One of the familiar faces on the show is Onkemetse Linda Mahatlhe, who has been part of the Itshireletse cast since 2007.
Mahatlhe is a veteran actress who has been acting since her secondary school days.
She was part of the Seepapitso Senior Secondary School drama group during the 90s.
Mahatlhe continued with acting when she was doing her training as a police officer in 1999. The producers of Itshireletse were impressed when they watched one of her videos. They invited her to the show and she has never disappointed since then.
Mahatlhe, who is a traffic officer at the Gaborone West police station, said the TV show has been quite an experience for her.
Mahatlhe vividly recalls the first scene that she played on domestic violence. She was a student while her irresponsible father was abusing her. Being so tiny, you could believe that she was a real student.
"I looked so young in school uniform. People were talking about the show. They were wondering if I was a police officer because I looked so young," she said.Mahatlhe never experienced any stage fright because she was coached by her fiancé, who is also an actor. Another popular scene that Mahatlhe played was that of Dipunga , an imbecile who was also abused by men. This scene touched people so much that they still call her Diphuka. Mahatlhe said the message in this episode was to alert members of the public that that some men sexually abuse mentally retarded girls and women. The other scene that she liked playing was when they were in Gantsi shooting a show about cattle smuggling. She also shocked herself as she spoke in Sekgalagadi tones during the shooting. Even the producer was amazed about her performance. "He asked me how I learnt Sekgalagadi," she said.
Mahatlhe feels that Itshireletse plays a crucial role in educating members of the public about crime. She said people learnt so much about crime from this show.She talks about one episode which depicted defilement. After the show, there were so many cases of people who were reporting defilement. They were alerted by the programme.
She said viewers of the show always confide in them how they found it to be useful.
She recalled that sometime back there were police officers from Swaziland who came into this country. Even though they did not understand Setswana language they followed the programme. "I think people are getting the message. Every time after the show has been screened, even our colleagues commend us about the good work that we are doing," she said.
Mahatlhe has realised that even top politicians follow the programme. One of her ardent followers is the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Gladys Kokorwe. Whenever they meet, Kokorwe always applauds her for her role in the play.At some stage the minister was so touched by the scene in which Mahatlhe was weeping that she could not hold back her tears as well. Mahatlhe was acting in a rape scene.
Mahatlhe said people always ask her why she likes crying. "I put myself in the victim's shoes," she said.
Mahatlhe was inspired by one of her uncles to become a police officer. Her uncle, who was a police officer in South Africa, loved his job and somehow this had an influence on his young niece.
Initially she wanted to be an under cover detective. "I watched under cover movies," she reflected. Since she had a tiny frame, she felt that she could work as an under cover cop without being detected. Other than her job as a police officer, Mahatlhe's hobby is acting. Her fiance, Gabriel Modise, shares her passion for acting. "We encourage each other. He is also my coach. All the good work I am doing is because of him," she said with a smile.The duo also run a community drama group known as Tsoga Afrika Theatre Works.
The drama group is composed of school going and out of school youth. It is aimed at sensitising the public, especially the youth, on issues like HIV and AIDS and alcohol and drug abuse. Mahatlhe revealed that their drama group is also intending to embark on charity projects.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
