12 Mar 2025

Plans are underway to turn the Nyangabgwe Hill, venue for the annual Nyangabgwe Hill Cultural Festival, into an aspiring, vibrant tourist destination and an artistic hub for Francistown and its surrounding areas.
The Nyangabwe Hill, has now been designated as the festival’s permanent venue due to its rich historical significance.
In an interview the Director of The Nyangabgwe Hill Cultural Festival, Ngisiwa Ntogwa said such will attract more patrons.
“Choosing Nyangabgwe Hill as the venue for the cultural festival was a deliberate decision, given its profound history,” he remarked.
In 2022, he initiated plans to develop it to accommodate various activities, including workshops, a cultural village for educational visits, facilities for creative artistes, camping sites, weddings, chill sessions and seminar spaces.
Nogwa said recently he got around P900 000 funding from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA), which will be used to enhance the venue and enable it to host different activities.
He said the fund will facilitate the completion of the venue to support these initiatives.
Concerning unemployment among the youth  in regard to his idea, Ntogwa expressed his commitment to transforming raw talent into income-generating opportunities.
He said the Nyangabgwe Hill Cultural venue will provide a platform for local artistes; DJs, singers, comedians, and others to host festivals and benefit from gate takings.
“Given the lack of suitable venues for performances, I believe this initiative will fill a significant gap, allowing artistes to showcase their talents in a dedicated space rather than relying on stadiums or community halls,” he said.
He envisions a schedule where Fridays will be reserved for DJs, Saturdays for backtrack artistes and Sundays for jazz performances.
The venue will host various activities throughout the year, whereas the main cultural event will be hosted at the end of the year.
He emphasised that the Nyangabgwe Hill Cultural Festival venue would contribute to job creation, as the facilities would require staff.
His goal was to attract sponsors to ensure that workers received the proposed minimum wage of P4 000.
To mark the festival 10th anniversary, Ntogwa is determined to make this year’s edition bigger and better.
“This year’s festival will also have an international reach, with viewership in countries like Dubai, the UK, Zimbabwe and others, thanks to proposals I have submitted through established partnerships,” he stated.
Despite setbacks due to COVID-19 pandemic, attendance has been increasing, Ntogwa is optimistic to attract more sponsors.
To boost the festival’s growth he has cultivated relationships with international cultural programmes, including Entwasa Cultural Village and Khaya Arts Products from Zimbabwe and Nculini Cultural Group from eSwatini..
Locally Ntogwa has partnered with the Francistown College of Training and Vocational Education and Botswana Accountancy College (BAC)to facilitate skill exchanges in hospitality and other areas.
“I provide students from BAC with practical experience during the event, and they receive certificates upon completion.” The Nyangabgwe Hill Cultural Festival is set to take place in October this year, featuring a variety of activities such as traditional choir competitions, cultural song and dance, and traditional games.
The event will be divided into two parts: a cultural day and a cultural night, each offering distinct activities. ENDS