Traditional song, dance groups deliver outstanding performances
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday July 12, 2022 06:00
The traditional song and dance final competition was part of the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture’s various categories that were held at different locations of Botswana the same day.
They were introduced to empower local artists as well as ensure the arts are recognised as a sector that can become a source of livelihood for people and contribute meaningfully to the diversification of the economy.
On the day, different traditional music troupes from different regions came to showcase their talent. They all showcased immense talent looking forward to winning the grand prize.
Amongst groups that kept the traditional music lovers at the edges of their seats was Khuduthamaga from Gaborone. They performed under Seperu (Chobe) where they did exceptionally well considering that it was the first time they performed the kind of music. However, that was not their first time in the traditional dance and song competitions as they already scooped two titles before.
Previously, they competed under the Setapa category. Nandavwe from Kasane, who have always been Chobe Seperu winners for three years in a row, also showed the new comers in the game why they managed to keep the title for long.
They managed to defend their title by scooping position one. Other groups that were battling for the Chobe Seperu title include Kavimba Seperu who scooped position four, Chaakonchoko Cultural Society scooped position two while Mbalalungu got position three. Even though there were two types of Seperu, being Seperu (Chobe) and Seperu from the North West, the attires were different.
With the Chobe Seperu, the women wore beautiful skirts with layers of colourful materials. The tail of the skirts when shaken looked more like the one of a peacock. However, with the North West Seperu, both women and men wrapped themselves with reeds. The similarity of both dances is that all dancers were shaking their waists to show the beauty of their attires. In the North West categories, groups that battled for the title included Tiwazani who got position one from Gumare, Shigyakao (also from Gumare) who scooped position three as well as Mavuashire from Ikoga who won position two.
In the Hosana category, Francistown Cultural Ensemble won the hearts of the revelers with a splendid performance. Their performance earned them first position. They were competing against Matlhogophutswa A Nnete who got position two, Mabutswapele at position four and Tlhogo ya Tsie position three. Other competition categories included Sebirwa, Tsutsube, Setapa and Phathisi.
Winners for other different categories that won position one include Re Tla Re Ke Dipitse from Bobonong under Sebirwa, Nca’anca’ase Traditional Dance from Charleshill under Tsutsube, Ishixhagwaa from Hukuntsi under Setapa and Pela Tsa Ga Kobokwe from Molepolole under Phatisi. Winners won as follows, number one (P30,000), position two (P25,000), position three (P22,500), and position four (P20,500). “The festival is also an opportunity for the audience to enjoy and experience the vast talent in our diverse cultures throughout the country.
The competitions are an exciting platform for creatives to explore their skills and creativity further against their counterparts and thereby enable them to refine their art,” she said.