Talent buyers across the continent have been invited to the 11th edition of the Botswana Music and Entertainment Week (BMEW) which Total Music Group (Pty) Ltd, the organiser, promises will be a glitz and glamour event. While a regular music awards ceremony with some of the biggest names in the continent's music business in attendance, this year's event will push the bar as a talent show and exhibition on December 3 at Boipuso Hall.
Speaking during the launch of the Botswana Musicians Awards (BOMU) and BMEW this past Wednesday, the founder of Total Music Group, Seabelo Modibe said they have invited talent buyers across Africa such as event promoters, music producers, as well as big shots from music channels such as MTV Base and BET. He said the idea is to deal with the issue of mobility that local artists face.
“One of the biggest problems that local artists face is artist mobility. Botswana artists are not touring artists. Artists spend a lot of time focusing on Makhadzi coming here not focusing on going out,” Modibe said.
As such he said the plan is to have the Botswana Music Conference, which would also be graced by international talent buyers. He said they have also organised the Botswana Music Entertainment Week (BMEW), which would include various activities held throughout the week leading to the awards. By bringing the ‘big guns’, Modibe said the idea is to create a good impression about the BOMU awards and make them attractive to local artists. He said they want to shrug off the bad perception associated with the awards.
“This is so that those who don’t come to the conference and don’t want to be part of the awards know that they are missing out on opportunities for MTV Base, BET and so on. Already we have over 43 people from outside who have confirmed that they are coming to these awards. This year, we are leaving no stone unturned,” he added.
He said they expect about 500 entries for the awards. He said the judging would be rigorous as they want to award based on great production, not popularity. He said Botswana remains the only African country that does not produce international music stars.
Both nominees and the winners will walk away with prize monies. Modibe said the total prize money for the awards is P475,000. Meanwhile, BOMU has also engaged an event planning and management company, Bambi-Elle Creations to improve the standard of the VIP experience during the awards. The company will work alongside Total Music Group to offer patrons a wholly unique and upgraded VIP experience.
