13 Sep 2020

Botswana Entertainment Promoters Association (BEPA) has called on government to assist promoters with a recovery fund to emancipate them from challenges brought about by COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing a media briefing on recently, BEPA president Gilbert Seagile aka Pimp wa Pimp, who is also the director of Gilbert Promotions said the creative industry continued to be challenged.

Seagile said ‘some promoters are reeling in debt, especially that some had already started planning for annual events’.

He noted that while BEPA appreciated that some artistes benefited from the subsidy wage, promoters were left out and as such, there was need to come up with  interventions to assist them. 

He said when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, some promoters had already started preparing for their crowd pulling annual events, citing Toropo ya muka in Francistown, which he said had already spent more than P800 000, GMIC had spent more than P2 million, while African Attire on Fleek picnic promoters had spent more than P8 million for some of the preparations.

Now that activities were cancelled, he said promoters were left with debts, which were a challenge to repay.

He further said one of the challenges was that the entertainment industry had no independent regulator, but was regulated through the Liquor Act, saying this did not augur well for them as some events did not attract alcohol sales. 

Seagile also urged government and parastatals to develop a culture of engaging promoters for their events, saying it could help them recover.

For her part, BEPA vice secretary, Benah Kobotwe expressed concern about fly by night promoters, who were in it for quick cash and created congestion in the entertainment industry calendar.

She said such promoters only surfaced at the peak of the festive season, compromising the quality of events. Ends