15 Jun 2026

What began as a celebration of the rich heritage of the Okavango region, has evolved into a vibrant cross-border cultural phenomenon, transcending boundaries to reconnect communities linked by shared history and traditions.

The annual Okavango Is Calling Music Festival scheduled for June 26 to 28 has grown into a cultural legacy with this year’s edition set to take place in Rundu, Namibia.

The visionary behind the initiative, Thato Sebati, said the festival was conceived to celebrate the Okavango Delta, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

According to Sebati, the platform promoted diplomacy, corporate networking, business exhibitions and cultural exchanges among countries connected by the Okavango Basin, namely Angola, Namibia and Botswana.

He said this year’s festival moved beyond Botswana’s borders to Rundu, a city situated on the banks of the Kavango River and the capital of Namibia’s Kavango East Region. 

Sebati said the event had received official endorsement from Julius Hamunyera Hambyuka, Governor of the Kavango East Region under Namibia’s Office of the President.

He said the 2026 edition would place a spotlight on women, featuring exclusively female performers on stage.

“The idea is to promote women and girls who are actively involved in traditional music and dance. This year’s concept is to showcase the finest traditional groups from our respective countries while celebrating travel, tourism and cultural heritage,” he said.

Among Botswana’s representatives will be the renowned traditional dance troupe Mmurubele, which first participated in the festival during its Tsutsubega edition last year. 

The group said its participation was aimed at promoting Setswana culture alongside other African cultures and strengthening cultural exchange across the continent.

Mmurubele member, Motshabi ‘Tshabisto’ Moloi said the group was inspired by last year’s event, which highlighted Africa’s cultural richness and authenticity.The troupe will perform songs from its latest album, Naka la Mpa, which has generated considerable interest among traditional music enthusiasts eager to see it showcased on an international stage.

Other Botswana artists expected to fly the national flag include the Setilo sa mantabane’ songbird, Mmaratwa, Sebaga Quinn of Tswana Dance, and Mshiloh.

Sebati said organisers in Namibia were still finalising the list of Namibian performers who will share the stage with their Botswana counterparts. ENDS