24 Sep 2014

It is only few days away from Independence Day, and certainly many if not all Batswana are getting ready to celebrate one of the most important events in Botswana calendar.

As is the norm, each tribe in Botswana celebrates Independence Day differently by showcasing their respective cultures as they entertain crowds with different activities.

Chobe residents have also pulled up their socks as they are organising festival dubbed Zambezi Annual Cultural Festival which will help promote culture and tourism in the area.

The Zambezi Annual Cultural Festival was founded and organised by three youths who hail from the Chobe District and it is expected to start on the 27^th of this month till Independence Day in Kasane.

In an interview, one of the organisers, David Lebalelo said they decided to start the festival around independence because Chobe is tourism hub and September is pick season for tourism.

“More tourists come to experience the beauty of tourism in our area around this time, so we saw it fit to use this opportunity to showcase our culture and at the same time promote tourism,” he said.

Lebalelo said the residents of Chobe are used to the normal life of boat cruising and game drives; therefore there was need to come up with variety of cultural entertainment to promote their culture to tourists as well as to show the youngsters in the area that culture still exists.

Lebalelo said there would be different activities during the festival indicating that on the first day of the festival, they will host beauty pageant dubbed Miss Chobe Tourism; then on the second day they will host family fun day where families and individuals will have taste of the traditional foods in Chobe.

He said on the last day, which is the most important day, there will be contemporary festival which will feature local artists in Chobe as well as those from neighbouring Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. 

“Each activity goes with an entrance fee of P100 each,” he said.

Guest artists like Judgement Yardz from Zimbabwe are said to be part of the festival as way of promoting cultural exchange between countries, he said, adding that local artists like La Timmy, Team Distant, Twingy Twanga, Sandy and Jetrova will also grace the festival.

The young man said host of famous Disc Jockeys like Dj Cooper, Dj Laputo, and Dj Krispin, among others will also storm the festival with their enticing performances.

He said all those who would be taking part in the festival are doing it to contribute towards building the event to promote culture in their area, adding that he wants people out there to know more about Basubiya culture.

He further mentioned that they wanted to incorporate modern entertainment as well as old entertainment to cater for the older generation and the youths as well as everyone across border.

The Zambezi Annual Cultural Festival does not only work towards promoting culture and tourism, but it is also meant to raise funds for the less privileged members of the community; to restore dignity and make them feel accepted in society.

Lebalelo said they intended to work with the local community based organisations and orphan school care to assist them with funds. 

He however encouraged the public to be part of the festival as it is not profit making event. 

He also appealed to different companies to show commitment towards the event and show their social responsibility by giving back to the community. 

He said the festival is expected to be held annually around this time adding that this year’s attendance will determine the broadening of the event next year. ENDS