Zodwa Libram, popularly known as her stage name Zodwa Wabantu was restricted from performing at the Take It Easy Music Festival in Botswana’s Maud Stadium. The dancer and socialite were banned from performing as her style of performing goes against the Humanity and Ethics laws of the country. A warrant of arrest has been issued against the dancer and will be affected if she comes into Botswana.
The response from Gaborone might have been triggered by the way Zodwa exposed her privates during an event last week. Her ‘kuku’ was all over social media after removing her undergarments while dancing on a high stage. She trended all over social media, with her fans criticising her indecency.
Not the first time she was banned from performing.
On the 29th of August in 2017, Zodwa Wabantu was banned from performing at the Harare International Festival for similar reasons. The Zimbabwe government doesn’t tolerate her clothes and her no-pants type of dressing. Despite public outcry, the government advised the event organiser to hire a local dancing act. However, other South African artists have been allowed to perform there, including Busiswa, Big Zulu, Makhadzi and many more.
Zodwa has responded with surprise to the claims that a warrant of arrest has been issued against her. She said she did not go to Botswana owing to payment issues with the event organiser. ‘I did not go to Botswana because I wasn’t paid’, she told Times Live. She believes the organisers of the event are seeking fame by soiling her name.
Botswana’s laws
Botswana’s laws are stringent, and as a result, the country has a low crime rate. The government banned abortion and still has a death penalty in their constitution for murderers and other criminals found guilty of gruesome crimes. Zodwa was seen as an immoral dancer by the country. Hence her performance was prohibited from happening.
The right to ban a person from performing
Legally, every country has its respective constitution, followed by its tourists, guests, and citizens. In Dubai, for example, it is illegal for couples to kiss in public. In North Korea, it’s unlawful to have religious material when you’re within the country’s borders physically or digitally.