Kapuula…! May it rain. This is how greetings are done here. May it rain is a prayer, and a greeting too. The people of Botswana, like the rest of Africa, believe the rains are a blessing. When it rains, the farmers, who are the primary producers of food, are happy… So when you wish someone Kapuula, you are literally saying, “may you not go hungry”.
So I went to pick my COVID test result today. As I exited the test centre, I put my earphones, which was blasting King Kao Denero’s ‘I am Sierra Leone’ at maximum volume, back on. King Kao became my third best African rapper, behind Modenine (of course) and ProVerb from Kimberly, South Africa.
Two hands in pockets, music blasting in my ears, I walked majestically on the streets of Gaborone , like the arrogant Nigerian that I am. I payed less attention to whatever was happening outside my earphones as I synchronously rapped along with the King.
All of a sudden, I noticed everyone kind of stopped walking. Cars also stopped. Me I shaa continued walking as I didn’t pay too much attention. When you are in conversation with a King, nothing should distract you. I kept walking.
Unbeknownst to me, a police officer and some passersby were screaming for me to stop…but in SeTswana. Emi o gbo ede yin ooo…I didn’t hear jack….except the words and beats traveling from the earphone jack to my ears. In fact, at that point, the king was saying to me…”Bring your biggest rapper, just look how I go conquer/ Take your shots, throw your bombs, I live in a bunker/ Military take over, prepare for the junta/ Wande Coal style, bumper to bumper…….” and so on….
Finally, whoever pressed pause, has now pressed play. Whatever made everyone stopped walking was now over. I noticed some ladies giving me oju buruku. I was like, kaa da fun gbogbo yin collectively. The police officer finally caught up with me. Perhaps, he noticed my ears had company. He tapped me on my shoulder and spoke to me in SeTswana. I told him in English that I do not speak nor understand the language. He seemed polite. “Ohhh okay, that is why you did not hear us.” “Obviously”..I said, grinning from ear to ear like smileys.
So he said, everyday, at 6:15pm the national flag of Botswana must be lowered. It should not remain flying at night except on rare circumstances which he did not elaborate upon. So everyone is expected to stop until the lowering process is completed. My last mission here was in 2019 and I did not experience such. Perhaps, I missed it. I chatted for a few more minutes with the friendly cop before putting my earphones back on. I was no longer in conversation with the King. One Abeokuta boy is now telling me that they are looking for him but he is San Francisco jamming, and that he just flew in from Miami…Iranu. Someone that has not even visited Peru before….is mentioning San Francisco…
Anyways, I once experienced the same thing in Congo DRC. In one of my ‘robonrebe ‘ early morning walks, everyone stopped too….while the flag was being hoisted. I didn’t do anyhow then. I stopped with the people. Afterall, it’s Congo. Anything can happen. Walai mo le je igbaju.
Back home in Nigeria, I never experienced this. Does it mean we do not value the Nigeria flag? Do we have a concept of dying for the flag..or loving the flag, like other countries do? Has anyone experienced something similar to this in any part of Nigeria? I am curious.