13 Oct 2026

Orange Botswana has launched Orange Music Talent, a nationwide search for emerging artists.

The launch brought together members of the media, partners, industry players and young creatives, alongside representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Arts.

Orange Botswana’s acting CEO, Gobe Mbayi, stated that Botswana had no shortage of talent, but needed platforms, networks and pathways that allowed talent to become sustainable value.

“Orange Music Talent is not about coming to save Botswana talent,” said Mabyi, stressing that the aim instead, was to help it grow.

 Orange, a point of connection between people, information and opportunity, is now extending that philosophy into the creative economy and the programme is deliberately national. 

Auditions will be held in Maun, Francistown and Gaborone, reflecting the view that talent belongs to no single city or community. Artists will progress through call-outs, auditions, quarter-final, semi-final and final, with development opportunities built in along the way. 

Mbayi noted that a great voice needed development, a songwriter needed industry knowledge, and a performer needed confidence, stagecraft and exposure. Winners and prizes are part of the plan, but the real measure of success, organisers said, was what happened after the applause: whether artists emerged with stronger skills, wider networks and audiences who had discovered new voices.

Orange’s own team framed music as a space where culture, identity, youth expression and the wider creative economy meet. Entry and participation will run through the Orange Max it app, available on the Play Store and App Store, where aspiring artists can register by filling in a form. Voting for contestants will also happen on the app and is expected soon, as the talent show rolls out.

Representing the Ministry of Sport and Arts, Films and National Events director, Moroka Moreri, welcomed the national approach and the emphasis on development alongside competition. 

He encouraged development over competition and a spirit of teamwork, pointed to the potential of Botswana’s creatives, and praising young people for their originality, resilience and ambition.

The task before all stakeholders is to provide the structures that let potential flourish, Moreri said

Moreri invited artists to read the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme and align it with the ministry’s own plans. 

The ministry is beginning to understand the industry and will unveil further initiatives in about a month, complementing what Orange is doing, so that creatives can claim a bigger share of the national cake, Moreri said and challenged Batswana to re-imagine Botswana as a world stage, building on the attention drawn by the carnival and the independence celebrations. ENDS