25 Feb 2024

Son of the Soil  (SOTS) cultural event has grown in leaps and bounds as evidenced by the huge crowd and diverse activities offered to the patrons.

While revellers outgrow events that is not the case with SOTS patrons, given the event’s ability  to attract new patrons while retaining the old ones.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event at Tashy’s Garden in Ramotswa on Saturday, Bana ba Mmala chairperson David Kepaletswe said the event traversed generations in the 19 years of its existence, something they were proud of.  He said SOTS always pulled masses even when it was competing with other big events in the country.

SOTS has over the years provided its patrons with a sense of identity, promoting cultural diversity. The event has also evolved as it has since also provided a platform for pop culture perhaps recognising the new audience.

“Any event that does not evolve dies. Pop culture attracts young generation, and SOTS caters for both crowds.

Commercialisation grows this event and the fact that we have managed to retain old crowd shows that we are doing something unique,” Kepaletswe said adding that the event had to evolve hence engaging an events company to run it.

He said SOTS was a movement and noted that the event was still keeping its culture, with some changes to cater for new and old patrons.

Kepaletswe promised their patrons something big for the 20^th edition next year.

Beat Box Production, a locally owned events planning company partnered with Bana Ba Mmala last year to plan SOTS.

Director of Beat Box Production Sydney ‘Boogie Sid’ Nzala, said the dynamics of culture allowed for new urban cultures whilst at the same retaining old cultural traditional music. 

 “There has always been a perception that SOTS is for certain people, an event ya bagolo but culture is for everyone. The tradition and the norms are for us all, we all eat seswaa, re bina setapa,” Boogie Sid said.

He said their focus going forward was to try to add urban culture and lure new audiences who were not aware of SOTS and what it was all about.

“It is an exciting and challenging period for us, taking a brand that has been there for 18 years.

You can only be careful at how you approach it, you have to create a balance when bringing in new crowd together with the old because you do not want the people who built SOTS to feel that they are now excluded from their event,” he said adding that the owners of the event, the old crowd should be able to embrace urban culture. Boogie Sid said it had been a delicate dance for them in the two years, having to sell the brand to new audience.

Without revealing much, he said the 20^th anniversary of SOTS would try to involve everyone.

“It is a cross road, we look back and say what have we achieved over the years and what can we do to further strengthen the celebration of culture and heritage,” he said, adding that their vision was to make SOTS one of the biggest cultural festival in Africa, among the top 10.

“People must come from across the world to celebrate and learn the traditions and norms of Batswana,” he said. ENDS