Nthatuoa Koeshe
VETERAN artist Meshu Mokotimi recently celebrated his 93rd birthday at a colourful event at Café What in Maseru.
The event saw exhilarating performances by Selimo Thabane and the legendary Budaza.
So good was the music that the nonagenarian reminisced of his youthful days dancing the night away like a young man.
The party was organised to celebrate the veteran artist’s life and the impact he has made in many people’s lives with his art.
Multiple local lodges and hotels have breath-taking his drawings adorning their walls.
Mokotimi’s art is famous for the striking features which he says need one who thoroughly appreciates fine art to understand the messages they convey.
At the event, Mokotimi briefly spoke about his youthful days and nostalgically narrated how he enjoyed himself while he was still a young boy.
“The youths should embrace their youthfulness because they are the future and since Lesotho has the youth, Lesotho has the future,” Mokotimi said.
Mokotimi said when he was young, the world was full of protests and bitterness and young people should not emulate the rage that older people used to exude when they were younger in times of political upheaval.
Mokotimi also spoke about how he met Budaza back when he was only discovering his talent and how he advised him to go to school and learn music.
“I directed him to go to school and study music and I could see the despondency in his eyes but I told him that was where the wisdom came from and he would fly in his musical career if he followed my advice,” Mokotimi said.
Before his performance, Selimo Thabane said when he first met the artist, he could not believe that he was as old as he said he was because of how lively he was.
Selimo said he hoped to age well like the veteran artist and look like him when he is 93.
Among songs performed by Selimo were his new tracks such as Felleng, Mathabo and Mamaraka which will be on his upcoming album that is to be released next month.
As for Budaza, his tracks like Koma eaka and Khera had guests grooving on the dance floor.