Moses Golola’s one-man show deserves more than its imminent empty fate

Truth. There’s the ever-present threat that one is always a new fad away from oblivion and the message that easily sends to a social media celebrity like Golola.

Communication rituals these days demand that we broadcast our perceived successes. In most cases this is just a fix to the attention we crave. In others, it’s an honest attempt to share happiness; for Moses Golola, it’s always an opportunity to keep at the top of our minds.

And while I have nothing but respect for the man – he single handedly sustains the appeal of kick boxing – there’s no denying that in an environment where we are being constantly carpet bombed by information, and where much is determined by what else is available, there is so much drama one can pull off before it all becomes dull.

There is the universal truth that any discipline requires much more than comic relief. Particularly so, kick boxing and its unforgiving demand for physical fitness - something that Golola’s advancing years might soon start to disagree with. And then there’s the ever-present threat that one is always a new fad away from oblivion and the message that easily sends to a social media celebrity like Golola: That unless they increasingly become unconventional, they are doomed.

Perhaps this is why he has veered off into alternative stuff? – currently, he is guest anchor for a glorified physical fitness circus, aired on NBS TV. Nothing wrong with re-invention, but for a man who understands the power of self-promotion, the length he must now go to sustain it must sap as much energy as it does, dignity. Like someone once said, eventually the myth of social media celebrity gets laid bare.

This isn’t just frustrating; it throws the entire validity of his one-man kick-boxing crusade up in the air. Possessing the obstinance and self-drive of a contagious virus is one thing. But measuring achievement in sport is quite the other.

It demands for one fundamental principle: that the game shall outlive you. Now, unless we truly believe that there’s a correlation between comic relief and athletic prowess, the best days of Golola’s one-man show are behind it.

Identifying some solutions is simple: serious investment in kickboxing sits top of the list. NCS shouldn’t leave an entire discipline to the ebbs and flow of an individuals’ fortunes. Unless we prefer that he literally dies in the ring, we should offer him the opportunity to rest with his dignity still intact. He has done his bit, so let us do ours by supporting the sport he has so painstakingly built.

And wouldn’t it just be a shame, as is increasingly likely, if the highlights of his achievements were down to humor? Even if it endears us all to him, I doubt that he would prefer his legacy to be that of a champion whose stare from the public gallery left all female MP’s scampering for pregnancy-testing kits. So, if we are to save him from this near-empty fate, maybe it’s time to replace our fleeting attention and love for a laugh, with institutionalised kick boxing. That would be truly to honour the man regardless of what his next career move shall be.

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MBanturaki