This year’s Hamptons Live Jazz festival will feature artists who do not perform in Botswana regularly. This is according one of the Hamptons Directors, Starr Ngwenya.
Ngwenya who says all artists will perform live as is the norm, adds that while they will have some of the usual artists, they will include other headliners, ”We also try to get headliners that do not frequent Botswana a lot for that touch of class of the old classics. However, we would also still have the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi who’s been here a couple of times, except this time around the directors will be working with Oliver to re-introduce a completely new theme of the old classics that mainly our parents enjoyed back in the day,” she said.
According to Ngwenya, the Hamptons will continue to target a mature crowd, and as such, a deliberate decision has been taken to ensure that artists that are loved by the target audience will perform as early as 2pm or 3pm. Expected among legendary acts are South Africans Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu, and Vusi Mahlasela.
Others who are expected to perform include The Soil, Nathi and Vusi Nova, all from South Africa. Local artists will also feature at this year’s Hamptons. They include Women of Jazz (Kearoma Rantao, Punah Gabasiane, Nnunu Ramogotsi), Sereetsi and the Natives, Sharon Sibonge, the Canada based Trinity Mpho, Nono Siile, DJ Laninah Benz and DJ Stomps. Goitse and Scavenger will MC the event.
The show which will be held on 27th of February, is expected to attract revelers from as far as Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, UK and local regions, “This will indeed promote tourism to a grander scale which will have a pleasant economical ripple effect for Gaborone city businesses. Hamptons Jazz festival in its third year has now grown to be a way of life, a celebration with family and friends and something anticipated by both locals and internationals making our country to be seen on the music global market,” says Debbie Smith.