06 Jun 2019

Basotho le Batswana Cultural Festival, whose inaugural launch took place in Gaborone in March, has attracted more participants from other countries such as South Africa and eSwatini.

The second launch of the festival, scheduled for September 28 in Lesotho, will feature local artistes such as Kgosi Maburu, Una Sell, MmaKgosi and Bretz Seakgosing. The event will also be characterised by traditional food and attire from participating countries.

In an interview, the director of Basotho le Batswana Cultural Festival, Dira Matseko said the objective of the initiative was to promote cultural music and expose Lesotho and Botswana artistes to other markets.

He said the inaugural launch has ignited more interest from countries such as South Africa and eSwatini. 

“We are in talks with other cultural groups and artistes in these countries and they will take part in our second edition to be held in Lesotho,” he said.

Additionally, he said they intended to take the initiative to other countries in Africa and also engage designers to showcase their cultural designs during the festival.

Matseko said even though they chose participating local artistes based on the impact they made at the first launch, they would still engage others as they intend to make the festival an annual event.

This way, he said, they would help expose more traditional artistes and groups to the outside market hence boosting their profiles.

He noted that they had been preparing for the upcoming event in Lesotho, through seeking sponsorship for artistes’ accommodation and meals, among other needs. He said even though other logistics were at an advanced stage, they were yet to secure sponsorship.

“We are appealing to businesses and individuals for support in this regard and any help will be highly appreciated. We are also planning to embark on activation tours to raise funds towards this project,” he said.

He said the support would not only help local artistes market their music, but would also go a long way in making an impact on the less privileged as they were also engaged in charity work.

One of the participating artistes, Tlhobogang Sebulelo, who trades by the stage name, Kgosi Maburu said he was elated by such an opportunity, which would help them market their music outside the borders.

The Ghanzi native, known for his popular songs Maburu and Tshegana ya ga Lengaungau, said as traditional artistes they needed such exposure to boost their profiles and grow.

“Preparations are going well and participating artists are currently recording an album,” he said. ENDS