23 May 2016

 It is not every day that one finds Botswana’s leadership congregated in one place, kicking back and enjoying live music.

But this happened over the weekend at BotswanaCraft when President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama hosted a private function featuring legendary Japanese jazz musician, Sadao Watanabe.

Watanabe arrived in Botswana on May 18 at the invitation of President Khama and subsequently headlined a show at Main Mall Piazza.

The official visit by President Khama to Japan was a sequel of the successful collaboration between Sadao and Botswana’s local artists Banjo Mosele & Veterans and Dipela Tsa Ga Kobokwe.

It was widely reported by the Botswana Embassy in Japan that following the widely acclaimed cultural collaboration, President Khama thanked Sadao for his contribution to global understanding through music, and invited him to Botswana so as to give Batswana a chance to appreciate his music, as part of enhancing people-to-people cooperation and cultural understanding between Japan and Botswana.

As the visit comes during the landmark Botswana Golden Jubilee year, as well as during the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Botswana and Japan, the show turned out to be a memorable occasion.

Sadao, who is in his 63^rd year as a performing professional was truly amazing and it was evident why he had been doing what he does for such a long time and it did not look like he has any plans of slowing down anytime in the near future.

The elder statesman is credited with introducing jazz music to Japan and the music workshop he was said to have hosted for local musicians was indeed an opportunity to impart skills and share techniques, which he has honed over his lengthy musical career.

It was also evident during his performance that a lot of those who were in attendance, if not all, were taken by Sadao’s mastery with his trusted saxophone and his band that were in tune with their lead man.

Sadao is truly in a class of his own and when he played his saxophone, he was one with his instrument and it was an amazing experience seeing him travel through time on stage.

Class is indeed something that one cannot purchase, either you have it or you do not and Sadao has plenty of that going for him.

One could not have been faulted for thinking Botswanacraft had been turned into a high level government situation room as Ministers and diplomats mingled amongst each other.

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Thapelo Olopeng, Minister of Finance and Development Planning Kenneth Matambo, chief of protocol Daphne Kadiwa, Permanent Secretary to the President Carter Morupisi, assistant minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Sadique Kebonang and Assistant Minister of Education, Skills and Development Fidelis Molao were among dignitaries that attended the event.ENDS