Theatre
Motswasele II
Not translated into English
Leetile Disang Raditladi · 1945
Synopsis
Among the Bakwena, in the time before colonisation, two rival chiefs stand in opposition. Motswasele II rules as a tyrant: he scorns the advice of the council, seizes his subjects' cattle and surrounds himself with advisers from outside the royal line, who cannot be trusted. Facing him, Moruakgomo embodies the wise, attentive and visionary chief, who listens to the council. The play examines the exercise of power and the ties between chiefs, elders and ordinary people.
Context
The play appeared in 1945 and was long on the secondary school syllabus. Written entirely in Setswana, it abounds in proverbs and expressions of the language. Wits University Press published a new edition of it in 2022, prepared by Sabata-mpho Mokae and Tuelo Gabonewe, and the play was staged for the first time in 2024, at the Dithubaruba cultural festival.
Who it is for
A historical drama in Setswana, with language rich in proverbs; there is no translation.
Prizes and reception
On the curriculum of Botswana's secondary schools, it has been read by generations of pupils.