19 Oct 2026

Bridget Freddy , who recently participated in the month-long Africa Monologue Challenge Season 3 in Accra, Ghana and emerged as one of the top 12 finalists arrived home to a warm welcome in Francistown on Saturday. 

 The journey of celebration had started earlier in the day at PG Matante International Airport. The normally calm airport turned into a theatre of joy, ululations and tears as Francistown welcomed home its star. 

By 2:30pm, the arrival terminal was packed with family members, former schoolmates from Francistown Secondary School, government deprtaments’ representatives and ordinary residents waving Botswana flags. The Dikgosi Tsa Ngwao traditional troupe provided entertainment, drumming and dancing to the delight of the crowd.

When Freddy emerged from the aircraft, draped in a Botswana flag scarf and wearing a long black dress, the crowd erupted. She could not hold back and joined the traditional dance, smiling through tears as her mother, Mpho Freddy, hugged her tightly.

 From the airport, a convoy of cars escorted her to the Civic Centre, where city leadership and residents were waiting. In her address, Freddy expressed sincere gratitude to everyone who made the ceremony possible. 

“Thank you for receiving me with so much love and for celebrating this achievement with me. It means more than words can express,” she said. 

Her journey to Ghana began with a passion for storytelling and a dream of representing Botswana. She entered the Africa Monologue Challenge independently.

She explained that the competition brought together African talent through three monologues, each lasting one minute and thirty seconds. Contestants had to promote their countries, encourage intra-African trade and perform a monologue of their choice. 

They also lived together in one house at The Nouvelle Place in Accra, showing that Africans from different countries can live together, learn from one another and embrace their differences. 

“I became one of the Top 12 finalists. Ghana won through public voting with approximately 70 000 votes, Kenya came second with 60 000, and Côte d’Ivoire followed. Botswana received approximately 2 600 votes and did not make the top three,” she said.

Although she did not reach the top three, Freddy said she came home with something valuable: experience, knowledge, friendships and stronger determination.

“This competition taught me that talent is important, but publicity and public support are equally important. We need to do better at reaching our fellow citizens, sharing opportunities and rallying behind our own when they represent this country. We cannot expect people to support what they do not know about,” she said.

She said the journey was not easy. Funding was a major challenge, but she refused to give up because she knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She said her mother made the journey possible and she would forever be grateful for her sacrifice.

 “While in Ghana, I also became ill and had to go in and out of hospitals. I even missed my flight and had to purchase another ticket with the help of the Africa Monologue Challenge team. I am thankful to them because throughout my time there, I never felt neglected,” she said.

She said one of her biggest lessons was realising how much Africans have in common. “We may speak the same words with different meanings, come from different backgrounds and have different traditions, but we share so much. We are one Africa, and our creativity can bring us even closer,” she said.

She challenged government and stakeholders to invest in talent early. 

“We should not only celebrate our creatives when they achieve something internationally; we should also support them while they are still working towards their dreams,” she said. 

“To my fellow young people, do not wait to be discovered. Discover yourself, develop your talent and have the courage to pursue your dreams,” she said. 

In his welcome remarks, Member of Parliament for Francistown West, Ignatius Moswaane described culture as central to economic diversification, job creation, tourism, innovation and the development of sustainable livelihoods.

“Our heritage is not merely a record of where we come from, but it is also an asset that can shape where we are going,” he said. 

He said this was the essence of cultural diplomacy - what the country nurtured and celebrated within communities, and confidently shared  with the world, becomes a source of national pride, international cooperation and economic opportunity. 

Moswaane said in her own uniqueness, Freddy was projecting Botswana’s sovereignty, expressing the country’s national identity, and contributing to the visibility of its cultural heritage on a Pan-African platform. 

He said as Batswana celebrated 60 years of full self-rule, Freddy was carrying the same spirit beyond Botswana’s borders. 

 For his part, the Mayor of Francistown, Gaone Majere commended Freddy for representing the country with excellence, dignity and talent.

 “You have made us proud. Your journey from local stages to continental glory is just beginning,” Majere said. 

His message to the youth was simple “ Let Bridget’s story inspire you. Your talent is valid. Your dream from Francistown can reach Africa. Let us continue to support our creatives. Francistown is indeed the City of All Things Precious - and Bridget is one of our precious jewels,” he said.

The Africa Monologue Challenge is a Pan-African acting competition and storytelling platform organised by MK Casting led by Mawuko Kuadzi, in partnership with the African Chamber of Content Producers and the National Film Authority of Ghana. The competition, themed: Using Africa’s Creative Economy to Promote Intra-African Trade, brings together emerging actors from all 54 African nations and the diaspora to deliver powerful monologues that market their countries, promote trade and celebrate African unity.

For Season 3, 12 finalists were selected to represent Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Benin, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and the United States representing the Diaspora, for a month-long residency in Accra in September.  The Grand Finale was held on September 18 at the National Theatre of Ghana, where Ghana’s William Lamptey was crowned winner.  ENDS