03 Sep 2026

The Gaborone City Council Town Hall stage transformed into a realm of pure magic Wednesday at the premiere of Mophato Dance Theatre’s highly anticipated four-day production, CHABA.

 The CHABA performance, blessed with the attendance of Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe, was not merely a play, but a beautifully orchestrated theatrical journey that left the opening-night audience awestruck and emotionally invested from the first cue to the final curtain.

Gaolathe acknowledged the group’s contribution to enhancing contemporary performances and underscored the vitality of dance as a medium of remembrance and expression.   He said the message of CHABA celebrates preservation, development, and economic potential of the country’s cultural heritage. Fans of Mophato Dance Theatre would have recognized theatrical dance snippets of Inyaya, Borwa, Teemane, and Pula woven into a collage production to create CHABA.   A masterpiece of narration and pace, directed by Andrew Kola and Kalima “Lima” Mipata, CHABA compresses 15 years of dance by Mophato Dance Theatre while telling 60 years of Botswana’s story. 

 The set used for the entire production transformed through different lighting effects, with the backdrop changing alongside the themes of the dance, signifying the transformational development of Botswana from 1966 to the present day.  The set visuals helped bring ‘vivid’ colour and energy to the Town Hall stage. When the lights went off for a showstopper by director Kola, the once-deserted stage became a spectacular location for Kola to emerge from.  Kola closed the show with a spiritual solo rainmaking performance and unleashed his passion for the craft. CHABA continued its run at the Gaborone City Council Town Hall yesterday, with tomorrow, marking the final performance of the four-day play. ENDS