19 Jun 2017

Mahalapye Theatre Group will represent the Northern Region in this year’s President’s Day Competitions under the drama category.

The group proved to be the best amongst 12 others who had thronged Mahalapye on Saturday to find space in the nationals, which will be held next month in Gaborone during the President’s Day holidays.

In a very tight competition held over the weekend, 13 drama groups and 24 stand-up comedy participants from the Northern region came to see who was the best to represent the region in the much celebrated coming national event.

In the drama category,m Mahalapye Theatre Group scooped first position with 76 per cent, followed by Teemane Arts Troupe from Letlhakane with 74 per cent followed by Tselakgopo

Cultural Commune from Serowe with 72 per cent.

All groups were performing a play written by Edward Moroka and Neelo Ntebanye dubbed Sebaga, under the theme Creative Industries, a Vehicle for Sustainable Development’.

In the stand-up comedy Bokamoso Nthomphe from Selebi Phikwe came first with 66 per cent beating other 23 participants to find himself a slot in the nationals.

He was followed by Augustus Phillimon from Francistown and Koketso Keolopile from Palaye with 59 and 58 per cent respectively.

Only Nthomphe and Phillimon will get a chance to represent the region.

However, in an interview Mahalapye Sub-district youth coordinator, Resego Keikantseng said she was not satisfied about the number of groups and participants who thronged the competitions.

Keikantseng said they had expected more artistes and groups to perform, explaining that in the drama category 32 groups had registered, but only 13 honoured the day while in the stand-up comedy 40 registered and only 24 came.

She said this was not good as it lowered the profile of the competition, adding that the more the participants the more the  competition stiffens and the region would be well represented during the nationals.

She noted that one thing that was dissatisfactory was that most participants did not take much time to prepare for the competitions.

Keikantseng advised the youth to take President’s Day Competitions seriously as they were meant to empower them.

Nevertheless, she said the few who came did their best.

The President’s Day is a public holiday specific to Botswana as a sovereign country. It was declared by the first President, Sir Seretse Khama and since then this holiday has been observed country wide.

However, the current President, Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama decided to take it to another level; giving it a new shape, a new form and a new meaning through the introduction of President Day Arts Competition.

The event has become a national event that brings the entire nation together in the spirit of celebration.  

It has become a pinnacle of the heritage month and a platform for showcasing the cultural diversity that Botswana prides self in.

The objective of the competitions was to showcase the diversity and the uniqueness of culture as a nation, to raise the profiles of Batswana artistes and to develop performance and presentation skills of artistes.

Also, the competitions are meant to develop the creative industry from community level and to educate the nation about the role of creative arts in economic diversification. ENDS