His book tells the story of how Motswako music started and was formed. Katlego Rammusa, the author of Motswako The Beginnings, has been nominated for the 18th South African Literary Awards (SALA). The awards are also celebrating 17 years of advancing literary heritage and awarding 47 winning authors in total.
THE LOVE OF MOTSWAKO MUSIC
He has been a fan of Motswako music since 2003. "I was introduced to Motswako through a distance cousin of mine by showing me HHP's Hebannpa track on TV," Katlego tells ZiMoja. "It is about the history of Motswako, as we know Motswako is a subgenre of Hip Hop which hails from a small town of Mafikeng, with artists like Crowded Crew, Baphixile, Cassper Nyovest, Fifi Cooper, and Khuli Chana, and from Botswana as well with artists like Zeus, Nomadic, Touch Motswako and many more," he adds. "So, the book basically is about how the movement started, where is now, where is it going, the Pop culture, the influence, the milestones it has reached, and how it inspires the current Youth. He describes his book as an integration of culture and lifestyle within the music industry, a concoction of African or regional hip-hop music, Motswako.' Katlego says this type of music is the conceptualization of many melodious fusions, a distinct sub-genre of hip hop which is seminal in Africa and the diaspora.
THE AUTHOR
Katlego has been writing many books to promote literature in his community of Pretoria. For him to be nominated means he can expand his passion for writing to rural communities where students don't have access to reading books and use this opportunity to promote book clubs in previously disadvantaged areas where people have no access to book clubs and reading opportunities. "I am not concerned about winning this award but to create awareness for writers who have given up on literature to keep writing and submitting their work, for readers to keep reading local material and support local writers so we can grow the culture of literature in communities we hail from and help our youth become a reading youth," Katlego says.
HIS LIFE AND TIMES
Katlego Rammusa is the Founder and CEO of ANT Thousand Sluggard Pty Ltd. He holds a national diploma in information technology from the Tshwane University of Technology. He describes his childhood through the beautiful memories he would create for himself when reading books about fictional characters and how he would aspire to see himself becoming a superhero and leader for his community despite the challenges he faced growing up, he used books as a weapon to overcome great odds and make a success of his life. The IT professional was awarded the institutional support award at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2013. He also holds a certificate and diploma in theology and is currently studying theology to enhance his knowledge.
Katlego Rammusa will tour Botswana on 30th and 31st October 2023 to promote the book and his literature campaign for encouraging people to read more and writers to start writing again.
