13 Jan 2016

Maun’s youthful poet, Batshidi Moeti, 22,  has been invited to the 2016 Piton International Film Festival (PIFF) to be held in the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia from August 15-26.

Moeti, who has won the President’s Day Competitions over the years and has made great strides in poetry, has been invited by the Umoja Communication Company to take part in the festival because of her sterling poetry. 

The company states in the invitation that it also wants Moeti to be the official voice for Piton International Film Festival (PIFF) in Botswana. The PIFF is an organisation that prides itself in connecting with people who are using their God given talent to make the world a better place.

The festival focuses on education, collaboration and celebration instead of competition. It also brings together artists to inspire and influence the global community in a positive manner.

In an interview, Moeti confirmed her invitation to the festival, noting that at the moment she is struggling to secure a sponsorship for her trip. She said her aim is to grab every opportunity that came her way, adding that it is her dream to break into the international market through her art work.

Explaining how she was invited, Moeti said she met one guitarist from the said country who attended the annual Poetavango International Art Festival and started exchanging information and knowledge about their art life careers.

“Our friendship continued through social media as we discussed activities in both our countries hence I learnt about the PIFF,” she added.

Moeti further explained that the festival will give her a platform to sell her country hence opening doors for future endeavours between the two countries.

The Caribbean Island of St. Lucia is looking forward to working with Batswana on many poetry and film projects as a way of networking globally with artists and film makers in over 200 different countries.

The youth poet is expected to be part of a showcase concert and poetry dubbed “Praising Positive Energy” which aims to spotlight artists that are using their talents to earn a living and make the global community a better place.

Besides taking part in the festival, Moeti will also be interviewed on radio and television with international talk show host, Dr Kathleen Walls.

The Umoja Communication Company had set aside 30 minutes in the Internet radio show for her on the second Tuesday of every month at 8:30pm.

Meanwhile, Moeti is appealing to the business community to rescue her to realise her dream. All she needs is a sponsorship to honour the invitation because she believes that it gives her an opportunity to expose herself and monetize her creative art works.

The benefits of PIFF participation includes among others receiving a 12 month international exposure through media, an opportunity to discuss creative art work with the general public and others in the industry and conducting interviews with UCCN TV and various media houses.

Poetry is the pillar of Moeti’s livelihood. Her love of poetry started when she was at Tsodilo Junior Secondary School. Since many people noticed her talent in poetry, she ensured that her talent was developed when she was admitted at Maun Senior Secondary School.

She took part in many competitions and emerged the champion and that alone opened doors for her and made her famous in Maun and the surrounding villages. Ends