Phale highly accomplished poet and cultural enthusiast

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer

Meet Morake Phale, a poet and cultural enthusiast with a fascinating historical inclination. The 77-year-old from Mmathubudukwane-Dikalakaneng in Kgatleng East has never been to school but his knowledge of the oral history of Batswana tribes, especially Bakgatla, gives him that aura of an accomplished scholar.
Phale gives an account-by-account of how Kgosi Kgafela Kgafela's tribe came into being that originally their totem was an elephant - not a monkey as most people have been made to believe. "The monkey and fire theory was just motivated by events that took place over the years. Our real totem is an elephant," Phale said. The old man noted that he learnt history through oral accounts, saying: "As a youngster I was fond of old people and I gathered much information from them."  Such is Phale's passion for Bakgatla history that he has compiled a big folder containing information about various events that have contributed to the tribe's rich cultural heritage. For him poetry and history are two sides of the same coin.
In fact, he believes that for someone to recite a good poem about a person, tribe or situation that poet must have learnt the history first. But he insists that a good poet does not necessarily have to write his work down.

In 2009, Phale recited a poem rich in history, welcoming Kgosi Kgafela Kgafela in Mmathobudukwane, highlighting to the Bakgatla royal and the crowd how the tribe moved from their place of origin in Mosetlha, South Africa until it ended in present day Mochudi. Sampling the poem for Arts and Culture, Phale said, "Direthe tse gago di ko Mosetlha, mangole a ko, Mmakauwe fa tlhogo ele ko Phutadikobo".

According to him, this was a reminder to the Kgosi that his ancestors came from Mosetlha, then settled at a place called Mmakauwe before trekking to their final destination at Phuthadikobo, the royal place.

He explained that Mosetlha was named after a Bakgatla patriarch. In fact, according to Phale, Mosetlha was the son of Matshego who was the son of Mokgatle, the very man whose tribe was named after.

It is a norm for Bakgatla royals to address their tribe as Sedibelo and the subjects responding in their traditional fashion say "Kgabo". But how many of us know how these greetings came about or what this Sedibelo really is? "This is how this whole thing started.  As you might be well aware Bakgatla split into two groups - Bakgatla ba-a Kgafela and Bakgatla ba-ga Manaana.

What happened is that when Matshego died the tribe called a meeting to decide who should take over between Mosetlha and Kgafela, both sons of Matshego. As expected, there was a big argument at the Kgotla as to whom the rightful heir should be. As people sat around a fire, a woman arrived carrying a clay pot filled with Sedibelo.  This Sedibelo is the fat that was normally kept in a pot for leather tanning and other uses.

Either by design or default this woman is said to have suddenly dropped the pot on the fire and as it broke the fat spilled, sparking a big flame that saw people going in different directions.  Some went with Kgafela while others followed Mosetlha," the elderly man narrated.

Kgafela's group then settled at Moruleng. According to Phale, it was his son Lentswe I who took over after his father's death. The young ruler found himself faced with a new challenge of repelling the Boers in the Transvaal who were terrorising his group.   Phale boasted that no other Batswana tribe in the country ever provided such resistance against the Boers than the Bakgatla who also saved other tribes in the interior from attacks by the "white men".  So strong is Phale's love for poetry that during the interview it was almost impossible to go on with the interview without a poem suddenly "creeping" in.

"Go tsogile modumo kwa Rungwana, poo e ntsho elwa le e khunou, fa di lwelang teng go matubako, go mokwatla wa maburu aga Poulo, go mokwatla wa Bakgatla.  Ko Kaeye go tlhabilwe konyana, nku tshwana e moreba, mogatla wa yoone of fisitse Maburu," he said in reference to Bakgatla/ Boer war, which Bakgatla allegedly won, leaving their well-armed opponents completely devastated. But Phale is not only well-informed about his own tribe, he also gave Arts and Culture a good account of how Malope's sons Kwena and Ngwaketse drove away the younger one, Ngwato who wanted to rule ahead of them. Piece-by-piece Phale would give details of Ngwato's route and his stops until he finally settled in Shoshong.

It is not common knowledge but the place where St Joseph's College was built was once Bangwato's hiding place after which they were driven to Kgope near Lentsweletau and further north to Otse as Kwena and Ngwaketse kept pressure on their younger brother.