SON OF THE SOIL 2015: Bigger and Better
WeekendLife
This event was started by a group of friends who used to come together every beginning of the year with their families to talk about olden days of their childhood and enjoy traditional foods and over the years, more people came in to join them 11 years ago. These people say to continuously find innovative ways of engaging the youth and larger community around issues of culture in bid to preserve and learn about culture, they had to come up with this event.
The annual Cultural Festival Son of the Soil is identical with celebrating of Tswana culture through song, dance, food and dress in secluded areas which are usually a stone’s throw away from the city.
The festival celebrates Botswana culture; it gives participants a chance to sing a Botswana song and dance to it. To play a Botswana game, drink Botswana traditional beer, listen to Botswana folklore and then a chance to brag about Setswana language. “One of our objectives is to foster a sense of national pride and cultural identity as Bana Ba Mmala,” said media publicity for Bana Ba Mmala, Pontsho Pusoetsile.
The theme for the next ten years, according to Pusoetsile is “kwa re go yang,” while the theme for this year is “kwa re go yang – Bana Ba Kgaupe Ba Laelana Go Sale Gale”.
The mission behind each event of Son Of The Soil is to educate people about Tswana culture as some people have very little knowledge about other tribes that Botswana has so by the end of the event, patrons are expected to leave having taken part in every activity and most importantly be knowledgeable about “ngwao ya Setswana.”
Over the years the event has been held over two days but this time around the organiser took it to another great level with it holding through three days. The event’s date has been set for today and it will take three days having started on Friday with a workshop at Boetelo Sun Valley Resort close to Notwane along the Gaborone- Lobatse road. With this year Son of the Soil team say they are trying and exploring the origins of Batswana and at the same time celebrate the growth of the event.
According to Pusoetsile, “The whole event will start on Friday until Sunday.” The Saturday event will start in the morning with attendees helping in preparation of Botswana dishes and meats. After the food is served, the afternoon is spent playing traditional games and drinking traditional beer and drinks like gemere. Late afternoon, activities continue with choir competition, borankana, diane and dithamalakane. Then later in the evening attendees will be dancing along to traditional artists and DJs that special in traditional music.
“We believe all the event that we will hold during the weekend and all the four different venues for our workshop, the relaxed Friday evening, the main event on Saturday and the Jazz on Sunday present a great opportunity for our sponsors to showcase their messages and also demonstrate their love for the people of this country by demonstrating support for their way of life,” said Pusoetsile.
“Son of the Soil is targeted at the young and upwardly mobile urban dwellers who want to keep in touch or reconnect with their culture,” said Pusoetsile. Since the mission behind this event is to promote culture, Pusoetsile says they would not allow anybody to enter the venue with a jean, only traditional attire is allowed.
Bana Ba Mmala, the organizing group, has come a long way and together with their loyal sponsor they have put in a lot of effort, time and money into seeing this event go on for so long and becoming stronger year after year.
“As Bana Ba Mmala we are very proud of the leadership role that Son of the Soil cultural event has been building in the cultural preservation space and we want to continue to grow this area nationally,” Pusoetsile concluded.
P250.00 ticket will afford you to attend the Friday event, the main event being held on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are sold at Shoprite stores around the country and Checkers in Airport Junction Mall.
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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.
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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.