19 Nov 2023

As part of Turkiye’s centenary celebrations, the country’s embassy in Botswana  hosted a jazz concert at Maitisong Theatre on Thursday.

Ambassador Ahmet Idem Akay said the embassy chose jazz to celebrate their centenary because it  symbolised freedom of expression.

He said  they organised several cultural events in the last two months to celebrate the centenary anniversary.

Ambassador Akay said the cultural events included fashion shows showcasing  Turkiye and Botswana attires.

He said music was colour blind and brought people together, adding that it was part of his duty to bring the Turkish and Tswana cultures together.

Turkiye jazz band, Sibel Kose Trio performed at the celebrations.

The group leader, Sibel Kose said their music was functional and that jazz was a common language that musicians could communicate with all over the world.

She said the music gave them the opportunity to share feelings, stories of various nationalities and listen to each other.

She said people could come together, share culture, experience and knowledge by playing music, adding that they had been to different African countries including South Africa and  Senegal.

Founder of Grow Black Collective, a local jazz group, Laone Thekiso of Lobatse said the group was invited to play at the celebrations. He noted that they were normally invited to play at birthday parties, festivals and international jazz shows.

The 35-year-old artiste said there were not many jazz bands that played their style, which was deeper.

He encouraged young Batswana to learn jazz, saying it was the only music that could be mixed to sound good. ENDS