10 Sep 2014

Madi Majwana: Stories from your pockets sound track, theatre, and Radio Drama, was launched on Monday evening (September 8) in Gaborone

Spear headed by Barclays Bank, the docudrama is geared at educating Batswana about financial literacy, money matters, savings, debts and monetary communication in the family. 

Speaking at the launch, Minister Pelonomi Venson–Moitoi said the docudrama came at the right time when Batswana absolutely needed to learn how to save money.

Ms Venson-Moitoi said, for that to happen, the society should start with the younger population and teach them financial literacy, adding that her ministry was looking to partner with banks and other financial institutions to make a curriculum that will teach children in schools.

The minister said that often society gave children the wrong impression that money comes easy instead of teaching them how hard it is to work for it.

“Children should be taught at an early age how to live with money as jobs are scarce in the competitive job market; social ills mount as a result as young people search for the scarce resource,” said Minister. 

The launch also saw the original sound track being played, as Thato Ntshabele, a renowned poet, opened it with an educative recital mixed with Setswana and English similes and metaphors.

And, with Steve Kabomo on the band, Lekhofi Sejeso on the keyboard, and Derbie T and Shugie Fisher serenading the audience with the song, the event was a real marvel to watch. 

In addition, the Managing Director of Barclays Ms Reinette van der Merwe, said theirs was a show of the bank’s social responsibility to add value to the country’s economic and social wellbeing.

She said the program would enable young people to achieve their goals meaningfully as it tackles money matters and its need in the society. 

Also she indicated that the drama would receive a wider audience and will bridge the gap and lobby different stake holders such as schools, communities and financial institutions to break the myths surrounding money issues.

Van der Merwe said that this will be achieved through the combination of education and entertainment to appeal to the younger generation, adding that most Batswana did not have a culture of saving; hence a majority of the working class overcommit themselves.

As a result, they often find it difficult to tackle occurrences such as deaths, retirement, and delayed payments of school fees.

For his part, the man who brought all this together, the Maitisong Director Mr Gao Lemmenyane, stated that the drama offered the opportunity to Batswana to get learned in free flow of information about money, the need for sustained intervention and financial literacy.

He appreciated Barclays Bank for its donation of close to P1 million in two years since last year for the project, and partners such as Yarona Fm, The Midweek Sun and Botswana Guardian.

The stage production of Madi Majwana was also launched with a short stage performance that got the audience laughing. It depicted how people misuse money and fall in debt, unpaid bills, living a life one cannot afford. 

The theatre group will be on a tour of the country engaging communities and unpacking these issues. Barclays bank, through this has an ambition to provide young people aged between 10 and 35 with skills they require to live economically active lives through this initiative. 

The show will attract more than two hundred thousand people across the country and it premiered on Yarona FM on 8th September at 06:50 am. 

It will continue on Mondays and Tuesdays on RB2 at 19:30pm and Thursdays on Gabz FM at 10:40am. He said it will be aired until February 2015. ENDS