11 Sep 2024

The Botswana Music Union (BOMU) awards will this year introduce two categories at the awards ceremony to be held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on November 23. 

The two new categories are Best Clap and Tap/Record and Best Traditional Contemporary Music/EP, making the awards categories 38 this year. Speaking at a media engagement on Monday, Seabelo Modibe of Events Lab and Total Music Group said submissions for entries have opened and will close on September 30. 

The awards are open to all musicians and creatives and they are free. 

“Although they are free, we encourage entrants to join BOMU and become members,” said Modibe. Of the 32 categories, six of them are voted for by the public and Modibe encouraged artists to canvass for votes from the public once nominees have been announced. 

“Winning an award has an impact on growth of the artist as a brand and economically. Some artists have got more bookings after winning awards,” he said. A nationwide registration tour is scheduled in 30 major villages, to register new members and  also  promote the BOMU brand. 

Modibe said the tour would also include artists who previously won the awards, as they would encourage new registrations. All submitted works must have been commercially available between June 2023 and August 2024. Works that were submitted for the 2023 awards will not be eligible for re-entry. 

The annual BOMU awards celebrate Botswana’s creative excellence, and Modibe encouraged artists to enter in large numbers. 

He said entering BOMU awards as a creative, opened platforms for collaborations and network opportunities not only for them as artists but the industry both locally and internationally. 

“Since face-lifting the awards, there have been a series of Master classes and workshops to develop and up skill behind the scenes workers in areas of lighting, audio engineering, stage management and overall event production,” he said. 

Produced by Frozen Lemon, a production company founded by a South African-based a Motswana, Norman Somi, the re-branded BOMU awards will also give talented Batswana an opportunity of skills transfer from the experts who have previously produced events of this calibre, as they did last year. 

Modibe said part of their efforts to rebrand and reset the awards was for the Botswana music industry to attract international brands, independent music distributors, television broadcasters as well as podcasters. 

Furthermore, Modibe announced that  nominees outside Gaborone would be transported to the event, and also accommodated where sponsorship allowed. 

He said in 2023 the value chain was at P2.7m. Also, he said, unlike last year, the 2024 awards would have an after party at the GICC marquee tent. 

Meanwhile, BOMU president Phemelo Lesokwane, applauded the members of the media for their continued support, saying they played a huge role in growing the creative sector. 

However, he raised concern at the sometime insufficient support toward local artists by the media, over international acts. “Botswana is ready to compete globally and the media should play their part in the development and exposure of this country’s creative sector,” Lesokwane said. 

Lesokwane also expressed gratitude to Total Group Music for the  collaboration and partnership in changing and improving the look of BOMU awards. 

He further appealed to Batswana to support artists by attending events, saying their support would grow the sector and add value to the artists’ livelihoods. 

The theme of the awards is, Beyond Music. Nominees will be announced on October 15, and each nominee will receive P2 500. ENDS