The organisers, Ikalanga International Festival, said the event will be held on December 26 at Domboshaba. According to talented Afro-pop singer, Lizibo, the festival will be one of its kind.
He explained that unlike in other battle shows where artists take turns on stage, he and legendary star, Johwa would share the stage. He said when one finishes a track the other will answer in their song: a music battle. “It will be the first time the two bands will be sharing the stage at the same time. We will each have our dancers and we will also have collaborating artists.
Our battle would be done just like it is normally done in hip-hop. We want it to be a whole production. "I promise our event will be exciting. There is a lot to learn from him [Johwa] as he has been in the industry for so long.
He takes pride in having eight albums under his name while I only have two,” Lizibo said. He added that they will be hosting a workshop where Johwa will be addressing artists and sharing with them his journey in the local music industry. Lizibo also said throughout the event, before the main one, they will be having a series of podcasts on Kalanga culture and music.
For his part, Johwa said the artists' mandate was to heal broken hearts. He said it was time for them to do something different like engaging in the film industry and selling their culture while making an income.
He also complained that his works are no longer played on local radio stations as before. He added that just like every business, artists were hard hit by COVID-19. He said he was happy that young people still appreciated his work.
The festival aims to sell Kalanga culture through dance, food, music, fashion, and food to both Batswana and internationally. Tickets are sold at P50 for kids, P200 for the early bird, standard at P250, P1,000 for a single VIP and P1,500 for VVIP for two.
