Mapaballo Borotho
The title of author Kutlwano Masote’s deeply personal memoir, Imperfect Harmony, is inspired by the idea that sometimes imperfection is not a bad thing.
He recently joined Kaya 959’s Point of View to unpack the core of his book.
Speaking to host Phemelo Motene, Masote said things don’t always have to be perfect, which is one of the reasons he wrote the book.
“It is a story of an ordinary South African and his imperfections while trying to harmonise his life, whether through work, family, and just general interactions with my fellow humankind.”
For context, Kutlwano is a cello virtuoso and conductor.
In the book, he reflects on the highs and lows of his life, unpacking fatherhood, marriage, friendships, his battle with alcohol addiction, and the sustaining power of music.
Growing up under the apartheid regime with a disciplinarian father, many factors inspired his love for music, including the politics of the time.
The book includes an excerpt in which he recalls meeting Madiba, at a time when he was an intoxicated young man.
“The year is 1992, and I find myself in Cape Town because we had been invited by Edith Green. They picked five young South Africans to come spend a month in the Mother City in December. We were then invited to a wedding, and I think I had a few beers on our way there.
When we got there, I carried on drinking the free wine that we were offered, and I know I passed out. Late in the evening, when I woke up, I noticed some of the guests had left. But when I looked across the dance floor, the only Black person sitting there was Nelson Mandela. I decided to go say hi.
He was in a very serious conversation with Helen Suzman, and eventually they looked up at me and asked whether they could help me. I then started raving about how it is such an honour to meet Ntate Mandela. I was incoherent. He looked at me and asked for my name.
I then began introducing myself, and he asked how Sheila is, that’s my mother. At that moment, I wanted the earth to swallow me up. The exchange was very embarrassing to me because I think he quite enjoyed it,” he explained, with a visible smile.
This is just a glimpse of what readers will find inside the book. It also takes them on a journey of how Masote found himself deep in the trenches of alcohol.
He then goes on to explain how he met the love of his life, his wife, through music.
“Music gifted me a lot, including my wife. We work together, and she makes sure that we get paid. She helped me run my art as a business,” he said.
Towards the end of the book, Masote helps parents understand that they don’t have to live their dreams through their children.
This comes after he admits that he initially wanted his son to follow music, while his son was interested in cricket.
“It was very difficult for me, but I wanted a happy child; it’s their own life. Let them express themselves.”
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