Forty-five productions for Maitisong Festival
Dumisani Ncube | Tuesday March 21, 2017 14:41
Productions will range from theater, comedy, dance, music and poetry. They will comprise of individuals and ensembles from around the country and neighbouring countries such as Namibia and South Africa.
Maitisong Festival director Gao Lemmenyane stated that a number of 45 productions will be showcased between April 1 to 11, “artists from far and near join in on this10 day roller coaster. As we consolidate the impressive lineup, we assure you of the best international and Botswana talent. Billed to perform at this year’s festival are performers from Botswana and South African artists,” Lemmenyane said.
The activities will be hosted at different venues such as Maitisong Theatre, The Moving Space, Thapong Visual Arts Centre, Stanbic Bank Piazza and Avani Hotel.
“In its 30th year running, Maitisong is undoubtedly the biggest arts festival in Botswana with international and local artists bringing theatre, music, dance, slam poetry and comedy to the audience in several venues around Gaborone as well as non-stop music shows to thousands of revelers in under-privileged areas free of charge. This year, Maitisong is proud to celebrate three decades of arts promotion, raising the bar in the arts, making careers and connecting Botswana artists with their international counterparts,” Lemmenyane said.
The festival will have theatrical plays such as Moratiwa the musical, The signature, Tiyapo, music performances by Kgalakgadi Soul Live, dance acts An anology of movement: For the love of figure, Why, comedy show which will have Soweto comedy festival acts and local acts and Fashion without boundaries.
The full schedule and time table of the productions is yet to be released by the Maitisong Festival team. The free shows will take place on the outdoor stages at Maitisong, Thapong and Old Naledi.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Enrich’. Lemmenyane noted that the theme encourages artists to earn a decent living out of their talent, as is the case in other countries.
“The arts continue to play a pivotal role in advancing peace and stability while contributing to the socio-political and economic discourse through art works of integrity.”
The full schedule of the festival will be released at the end of this week through the Maitisong website and social media pages.