According to Total Music Group founder, Seabelo Modibe, the gender disparity in the local music industry has remained a major challenge for many years. Modibe’s company has been engaged on a five-year agreement since last year to organise, market, coordinate and manage the music awards. He said chief among factors in the industry-wide inequality is lack of gender equity in positions of power. He said they will address the struggle for women to hold space in any part of the male-dominated music industry. “Women participation in Botswana is so low. At BOMU we have never had a female president and Secretary-General, so there is a need to focus more on empowering women and putting them on the forefront. Most women in this industry are not involved where the money is so we need to change that,” Modibe highlighted. He held that women should not only be artists but be involved in other spheres of the industry.
He said the music industry is not a boys’ club, further pointing out that before female artists can make it to playlists and festival stages, there has to be women behind the scenes putting them there. “Women need to be in recording studios, become event producers, agents, managers, talent bookers and music executives,” he added. Modibe also said they will host a week-long music event styled Botswana Music and Entertainment Week dedicated to women ahead of the awards show.
The theme for this year’s awards is, ‘Unity’, which Modibe explained resonates well with their plan to eliminate individualism. He said there is a lot of individualism in the local music scene. He emphasised the need for collaborations hence this year’s theme resonates with these awards in particular because there is a lot of individualism in the local music industry. “Globally artists are coming together. Take a look at Amapiano artists in South Africa, they are united, they are collaborating, they are recording music,” Modibe added.
He said local artists should spend most of their time in studio recording and collaborating. Meanwhile, BOMU has engaged an event planning and management company, Bambi-Elle Creations to improve the standard of the VIP experience during the awards. “We are consulting and working alongside Total Music Group to offer patrons a wholly unique and upgraded VIP experience. It will be a night to remember from the music week conference right to the awards show itself,” said Bame Motsomatshukudu, events manager at Bambi-Elle Creations.
She said they want to give patrons an out of this world VIP experience during the awards. BOMU president, Phemelo ‘Fresh Les’ Lesokwane said the awards continue to shed spotlight on music’s top talent. He said it is also an occasion that reveals the organisations’ continuing commitment to develop the musical scenery.
