Ringo, Selota Jazz Ghetto
WeekendLife
The inaugural Francistown Jazz Festival slated for September 9th 2017 will be headlined by the famous South Africans legendary jazz prodigies Ringo Madlingozi and Selaola Selota. The event is set in commemoration with the city’s 120 years jubilee celebrations at Francistown old Stadium.
The event that was originally scheduled for 4th April was postponed to September 9th and is expected to be held annually and will feature international and local jazz legends. The festival will also give up and coming artists the opportunity to showcase their talent.
In an interview with WeekendLife, the Coordinator of Jazz Festival, Natalie Mphinyane explained that this will be the first jazz Festival of its kind in Francistown and it will captivate a mature audience and musicians alike. It is expected to become a highly anticipated event in the Northern region. “This high profile Festival will be a landmark cultural exchange,” she said.
Mphinyane further shared that they opted to come up with the Francistown Jazz Festival because there are no such events in their city and the City Council decided to take on the event with the celebration of Francistown’s 120 years of existence and that the funds that will be raised will be channeled to the Mayor’s Charity Fund. “Take also into notice that the proceeds from the Francistown Jazz Festival will go into the Mayor’s Charity Fund, hence we are still appealing to the companies to purchase tickets for their staff/clients so that the mandate of the Festival can be fulfilled,” Mphinyane explained.
With a sizzling line up on board, they decided to choose the performers based on the feedback they get from their followers and how their songs have been selling on shelves from their shops. “Ringo Madhlingozi and Selaola are being loved, and it’s been a while since Selaola Selota has been in Francistown, why not bring him back!” she asserted. The “black mampatile” hit maker, Amantle Brown, has been privileged to perform alongside jazz legendries, her talent and authentic music has landed her the spot in the jazz event. “Amantle Brown is coming up good, and we wanted to show other young people that they can also land themselves a spot in the Jazz Festival, we also chose Sereetsi because his music has been dropping off our shelves in our store, so we choose people looking at the demand of people,” she lamented further.
The Jazz Festival will be a daylong celebration of regional and world class music that celebrates the convergence of the most prominent region of Botswana being the North. The festival will be steeped in the relaxing ambience of good music, great company, good food & beverages, colorful and meaningful sponsors billed to take place. The festival is scheduled to start at 11am, with Kids’ Playground and resume with the live bands at 4pm to 12midnight, then the DJ will drive us with Jazz & oldies until 6am. The sponsors involved in making this festival a success are Francistown City Council, Adansonia Hotel, MYSC, Sefalana, Nice Touch Investment, Zambezi Motors, Ghetto Tissues, Mr. & Mrs. Cox, Gilt Security, Lexus, Young Fitters, Claqos, Skip Hire, Charles Phiri, H20, White Sounds Entertainment, The Boulevard Guest House, The Live Events Crew, The Voice, , Mackstan, Duma FM and Web tickets.
Standard tickets continue to be sold at P250 and at the gate P300.00 and VIP tickets are P750 (with no accommodation), P1 500 (accommodation for one person), P 1 950 (accommodation for two people sharing). Tickets can be purchased at Street horn Music Café at Molapo Crossing, The Voice office in Francistown and at all Web tickets outlets like Spar Supermarkets.
WeekendLife
Creatives taking over 2023
Creativity is seen everywhere and these individuals did something recently that’s never been done before, and some are still killing it. We see creativity on streaming platforms, stages, runways, social media and boardrooms even. Some of them are revamping their businesses, and lately, clothing sale is thriving.
They love concept-driven designs, storytelling and they bring fresh ideas and new perspectives that will leave footprints in the sand. Post the COVID-19 pandemic, these creative minds utilized the drawing board and they became cognizant that monetizing content will actually take them far, which is frank nonetheless.
This is commendable though, but the creative industry will still need support from government in order for it to flourish further. Allocation of resources (funds, facilities and empowerment) should be done consistently, creativity must be raised and at the end of the day, the economy benefits from that kind of investment.
HAN C
Ever since he parted ways with his former manager, DJ Bougee Sid, Mahalapye born-pint sized, multi-award-winning artist, Hanceford Magapatona has been taking up space, unapologetically so. Han C has shown a strong will to take over the entire world, and he is in the right direction. He’s solely organizing the annual Mahalapye Spring Festival, which is taking place next weekend.
The Pepetetsa hitmaker raked some monies from his savings to put together this event. Mahalapye Spring Festival will feature Paige, Ubuntu Band, Khoisan, Amantle Brown and Double Up among others. Even though it didn’t come as a surprise, Han C was nominated at African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA) in the US, under Best Male Southern Africa category.
However, the award was snatched by the late South African rapper, AKA. Its not all lost as Han C secured two nominations at the Yarona FM Music Awards (YAMAs): People’s Choice of the Year and Best Male Single.
KOKETSO MOTSWAGOLE
This entrepreneur has turned his dreams into reality, and his promising apparel business is now a fashion destination. Matter of fact, Motswagole weathered the storms to be where he is now because through criticism and social media bullying, he still leads the pack in fashion.
His social media accounts got deleted but through his online store, KM Sales, Motswagole is able to rake in some profits. He initially started selling from his car but now owns a busy store and has employed a number of young people.
KM Sales has been offering fashionable items (shoes, t-shirts, pants) and has been participating in various lifestyle events such as Garden of Drip where it showcases its products.
If there is one young entrepreneur to draw motivation from is Koketso. The business started from humble beginnings, at the time when he worked part time at Ipelegeng as a casual labor. Indeed, good things come to those who wait, or well, work like a slave today, live like a king tomorrow.
KAGISO LUDO DE KLERK
Vee Mampeezy’s ex-wife Kagiso De Klerk clearly did not sit and weep over their dramatic divorce. The famous social media influencer hurriedly picked up the pieces and went hard on promoting business online. She literally took social media influencing to the head and it is working for her.
This year saw her partnership with Shell reach greater heights, and obviously, she is raking lot of pulas from the deal. Kagiso has been making frequent appearances in top events in South Africa such as Bubbles in Spring and Gold and Diamond Experience.
GAONA DINTWE
After a long break from the limelight, renowned media and radio personality, Gaona Dintwe is back. She was missed by many on TV, and she’s back where she belongs, news anchoring on BTV. Gaona has also found a niche in podcasting. She is a host of her own podcast, Gaona Live Conversation, where various people share their stories on camera.
Some of what they discuss is Gender Based Violence (GBV), polygamy and drug addiction. This is highly commendable because even BTV doesn’t have programs that discuss these crucial social issues. The Lentswelemoruti native is also seen in various corporate events where she is engaged as a host.
WeekendLife
DITIRO LEERO ONE MAN SHOW ON THE PIPELINE
Now that one-man shows are made fashionable, traditional dance guru and ex-convict, Ditiro Leero is joining the crusade and he will be hosting his also. The show will be held next month at Zone 4 Farm in Selokolela, but the there are traditional dance music artists who have been lined up to perform at the show. Matshana, Morwa Leka and Maswailathota will be doing their thing and probably bring some heat too. Ditiro Leero will be making history as the first traditional artist to host a one-man show in Botswana.
WeekendLife
MISS BOTSWANA HAVING MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE
With only two months before Miss World 2023, the reigning Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo is having many irons in the fire, preparing for the much-anticipated beauty pageant. Miss World 2023 will be the 71st edition of Miss World pageant and it will be held in India. Chombo has been spotted toning her body at Jack’s gym, a requirement that is taken seriously at the pageant. She has also been participating in charity events, something that should add to her profile at the Miss World.