By Theodorah Mawasha
GA-SEKGOPO-The much-talked-about South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) were held at Mpumalanga, Mbombela, on November 27. The prestigious event recognized and demonstrated the hard work of artists from different genres of traditional music by means of awards
One artist who has won big in the category over the years is, Mpatli Patrick Rakgabale, who hails from Ga-Sekgopo, in Greater Letaba. The musician who is affectionately known as Tau Sebata, which is also his stage name, is passionate about Kiba cultural music and dance. Rakgabale has stood the test of time, with a career dating as far back as 1998.
“I recorded my first album in 1998. During those years, disco was a big thing. I started by recording disco songs that were inspired by the late Peta Teanet. My late friend Joe Mapeech and I produced a track called “the two check”, which was an instant hit and made us popular on the streets. We never looked back from then”.He reflected.
Tau Sebata proudly announced that he has won two awards before in the same category. He won the first award from his album titled “Bapedi” in 2017 and took another one home in 2018 from the album “Thabeni tsa Mmanopi” respectively. He, however, reiterated that this shows that he has no competition.
Third SATMA award for Tau Sebata
“I am saddened. This tells me that young people choose hip hop and amapiano rather than explore Kiba or sekgapa. We are forgetting our culture and our roots. I wish to see more young people besides me on stage. I am more than willing to offer guidance”. He said.
The artist said that he is disappointed by government structures and promoters who overlook their work, particularly those from Limpopo. Allocation of relief funds, he said, is a pandemic on its own. He encouraged people to support them by attending live events.
Tau Sebata has a gig lined up on 4 December at Moletlane Sports Ground. He will perform at Brakpan in Johannesburg on 11 December at the MTVMA and is also going to host an event in Ga-Sekgopo during December but the date has not been finalized.
