06 Aug 2019

 Ghetto Urban Desings will host the Okavango Is Calling festival in Maun from September 4-7, as a way of promoting the Okavango Delta.

The festival is spearheaded by Ghetto Urban Desings, a youth organisation that has been running for the past 10 years.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ breakfast meeting on August 6, Ghetto Urban Desings managing director, Vincent Sebati said they had partnered with Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology and UNESCO commission for the festival.

Sebati said they decided to have a festival that would bring people from different countries together through food, fashion, music and arts to promote the Okavango Delta.

He said they managed to raise P2 million during last year’s festival, which was held over seven days.

He highlighted that in recognition of the Okavango Delta as the 1 000^th  heritage site and UNESCO recognised delta as one the heritage sites, they saw it fit to promote the delta adding that it was not only upon government or particular individuals to market or benefit from the delta.

This year, he said the festival which would be held in four days, would be officially opened by Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Kitso Mokaila adding that exhibition of products and presentation of services by representatives from different countries and participating entities, would be part of the event.

He said participants would tour the Okavango Delta through boat cruising, fly in hiking and mekoro drive to experience the beauty of the delta in the second day of the festival.

On the third day, Sebati said they would have the food festival, whereby food from different countries would showcased.

He further stated that they would also be showcasing crafts, photography, poetry presentation and cultural games from different countries.

On the last day, he said they would have a music festival, which would encompass music from different countries with Botswana traditional dances and choral musicand entrance fee would be P100. 

He added that there would be a fashion show and gala dinner. He said models would showcase attires from different countries and the dinner, which would be strictly by invitation and a black tie event.

He said all the events would be free to the public and dress code would be traditional wear except the second day, where participants would expected to put on comfortable clothes for the excusion activities.

Sebati said Okavango is Calling was packaged in such a way that people would not come to Botswana to have fun only, but to have fun with business.

He encouraged embassy representatives in attendance at the breakfast meeting that for Batswana to know about their countries they need to attend the event and showcase their fashion, music and food as this was also a cultural exchange programme. For accommodation, he said Cresta, Maun Lodge and camp sites would offer attendees the service while transport would be made available to take them around the delta.

Attending the stakeholders meeting were ambassadors as well as representatives from Angola, Libya, France, Germany, Turkey, United States, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa Embassy and OKACOM. ENDS