Africa-Press – Lesotho. Two monkeys were seen rolling with laughter in Sehlabathebe last week. They were listening to the radio. It was Bra Sam Matekane presenting his party’s manifesto.
The monkeys started laughing when Matekane said his government would fight corruption and nepotism. Hooooooooo, hhahahahahaha, hohohohohohohohohoho. Muckraker will admit that it was a ticklish joke delivered with a serious face.
He said those words as if he genuinely believed them. Cracking a joke with conviction. The other joke was that Bra Sam arrived at the launch in a helicopter.
Of course, his supporters were thrilled because he was showing them what they will become when he gets into government. If wishes were horses! Suffice to say the helicopter simply shows the distance between him and his supporters.
Yet it reveals how times have changed. There was a time when people would repair footpaths for a party leader to get to the rally venue. Now they clear the space.
They point to the air when his bird approaches. They think they will fly like him. Only that Bra Sam’s speeches don’t seem to fly beyond the knee height.
Full stops are not inconveniences. Voice modulation is key. Read and reread the speech before you present it. Those monologues induce sleep. Muckraker is not saying the man should be an orator.
No, that’s not the point. The one from Qacha didn’t make a great leader despite his Sesotho idioms. The one from Makhoakhoeng ended up delivering speeches from a petticoat.
Bra Sam should just be fluent enough to say what he means and to protect his audience’s ears. They cannot be hungry and confused at the same time. This business of stumbling and mumbling makes him look like a rookie.
Well, he is a political novice but he should not be parading it. As for this promise to fight corruption and nepotism, Muckraker can only say he must carefully craft his jokes for maximum effect.
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