Kuru Dance Festival celebrates 20 years
WeekendLife
This year the annual Kuru Dance Festival will be celebrating 20 years, having started back in 1997, and to top that off Barclays Bank this week unveiled a P 300 000 sponsorship to Kuru Development Trust, the architect behind the annual full moon event that will be held on Saturday, 4 August 2017, at Dqae Qare Lodge in D’Kar.
Barclays Bank of Botswana Managing Director, Reinette van der Merwe, officially handed over a P300, 000 contributions to the Kuru Development Trust members earlier this week on Monday, (10 July). As part of the Shared Growth strategy, Barclays Bank of Botswana is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of Botswana’s arts and culture. This is the third consecutive year Barclays Bank has been sponsoring the Kuru Dance Festival.
The Kuru Dance Festival will be taking place from 4- 5 August 2017 with the main event taking place Saturday, 4 August 2017 at Dqae Qare Lodge in D’Kar, which is approximately 20 km from Ghanzi. The festival marks and seeks to commemorate the full moon, which is significant in the culture of the San, believing that during this period they are able to heal the sick through the power they receive from song and dance.
While officiating at the event the Barclays Bank of Botswana MD, van der Merwe told the media that it continues to be a great pleasure to partner with Kuru Development Trust for this initiative. She said the annual celebration has evidently become a renowned one in the Botswana calendar, and has continued to draw the attention of local and international crowds. The Festival is significant because it draws on the participation of communities from a variety of ethnic groups in Botswana culture and attracts business to the Dqae and wider Ghanzi area.
In 2016, the festival was officially included in the National Event Calendar, indicating its increasing popularity and renowned standing. This year, the Kuru Dance Festival has enriched the diversity of its artist line- up to include 12 San Traditional dance groups, 5 non- San Dance groups and 3 International guest groups. The 2017 festival will also exhibit stalls for cultural products, including Veld fruits, craft work and more. The international artists are reported to be San and a Zulu group from South Africa as well as another San group from Namibia. About 1500 people are expected to attend the event this year at D’ Kar.
“Our sponsorship of the Festival aligns perfectly with our strategic ambition to foster growth as a business and in communities. We support the conservation of our dynamic heritage, as it encourages community trade and can ultimately drive development. We look forward to engaging our stakeholders in the beautiful and historic Ghanzi district during the coming festival,” van der Merwe concluded.
For his part the Kuru Development Trust Chairperson Aron Johannes said, so far, they are happy with the relationship they have with Barclays Bank of Botswana. He said the main aim of the event is to preserve culture and therefore are calling for adults to come in numbers to teach youngsters their culture. He said there is a special dispensation for the D’Kar local community to attend the event at half price to encourage local participation.
He also took the opportunity to thank Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development as well as their Patron Ponatshego Kedikilwe who he said has been playing a pivotal role in the organisation of the annual event.
Barclays Africa Group Limited (“Barclays Africa” or “the Group”) is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest financial services groups. Barclays Africa is 23.4% owned by Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays PLC”).
Barclays Africa is a fully local, fully regional world-class bank, offering personal and business banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and insurance. The Group operates in 12 countries with approximately 40 thousand employees, serving close to 12 million customers.
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.