25 Apr 2021

 If April had a theme song, Koolkat Mutyiko Kavinja’s Ko Seronga track would be it. Recently Social media  went abuzz with excitement  of   Ko Seronga track song challenge.

The platform is a great way to showcase the versatility and talent of the creative minds whether through dance, song, comedy and any other form of entertainment. People are always on the lookout for new challenges; and previous challenges like Rabachanaki’ and Samoxa awakened  Batswana from lockdown blues.

Ko Seronga challenge comes also as a favorite, after a young comedian Poloko Poloko posted a clip dancing to the song on his Facebook timeline. The song went viral instantly with various challenges on various social media platforms with hashtags on Facebook and Twitter as well as dance challenges and hashtags on Tiktok.

Social media users made the song viral particularly on Tiktok with over 3 000 videos on Tiktok and over 7 000 hashtags and over 10 000 views.

The Ko Seronga song and dance challenge is fun to watch and listen to.

Besides the fun dances and memes in the viral videos, the Ko Seronga challenge also comes with a rather particular way of talking that involves a North West region dialect. “I am planning to introduce a genre called Mutyiko with this song which we will embrace as Batswana,” highlighted the creator and composer of Ko Seronga song,  Kavinja.

Kavinja said he had a conversation with his cousin Lesedi Timone about the introduction of the Mutyiko genre.

He explains that the genre comprises a combination of North West language which has been vastly utilised in the song.

Words and phrases such as ‘tyika’, ‘go domina’, ‘nkhorongo’ are some of the popular phrases in the song that makes it a popular hit with the masses on social media.

“Ga re tshameka ko Mau ga re tlotla among ourselves ga re dirisa Setawana se se ko tee tee we say re a tyika,” said Koolkat with the distinct and noticeable Setawana accent.
Inspired by memories from his childhood, Kavinja said he reminisced about the games they played with his cousins and siblings.

“I even used my family’s names, the siblings and cousins in the events in the song,” explained Kavinja.

The beats of the song fuse together kwasa, afro beats, hip hop and the local language as a determining factor for the song.

Koolkat said this is only the beginning as they are focusing on the project to make it as big as it can so that by the time they move on to other projects everyone would follow vision.

The song broke the internet views overnight and received much love not only in Botswana but across borders as well.

“It was a song I only shared with my family and never really thought it could be this big,” he said modestly.

But everyone had a piece of it, ‘and it chased away the COVID-19 blues for everyone especially Seronga natives in the diaspora.’

Born 25 years ago in Seronga and raised in Maun, Kavinja says the introduction of Mutyiko is for local artists particularly those from the North West region to embrace and ride on the fame to push their brands.

He said this is the time for Batswana to write and tell their own stories through their authentic culture and stand out to the rest of the world.

“After Seronga I realised the genre could actually be a hit,” said Kavinja, adding that Batswana artists should step away from trying to remix foreign genres into Botswana culture, but rather build the Botswana genre.

Ko Seronga is not just a song, as Kavinja said. “Seronga and the Ngamiland as a whole has a lot to offer in terms of tourism, and I wish for young people to tap into that,” he said explaining that the song reminisces on traditional games, way of life and other interesting activities that could attract both domestic and international tourists to the area.

Raised by a mother who worked over 40 years in the tourism industry in Okavango, Kavinja said his wish is to see more young Batswana getting into the tourism sector not only as tour guides but lodge owners and other tourism opportunities in the area.

“We do appreciate the foreign investment in our tourism space, but it will be amazing to have many Batswana in the industry who will be more articulate to tell, sell and write our stories,” stated Kavinja.

COVID-19 pandemic hit the industry really hard and some creatives could not generate income as there were no shows. Kavinja however advised his peers to be creative and monetise their craft. He said artists should start treating music as a business and sell it as a product.

Ko Seronga smash hit is to be launched and released today on Kavinja’s 25th birthday. Kavinja worked with vocalists Myeyes Ditirwa who is also working on her album, as well as Babogedi ‘Sheheya’ Binang. Ends