The National Braai Festival (NBF) was the spot to be this past weekend as meat lovers from all over the city united to indulge in a meaty experience. The festival was held at the National Botanical Garden in Village, Gaborone on Saturday.The event, which got off to a slow start, was attended by a reasonable number of revelers from all over the city. The braai festival was the fi rst of its kind in Botswana and was welcomed with open arms by Gaborone residents. The organizer of the event Mothusi Seitshiro said “the purpose of the whole thing was to give attendants an opportunity to indulge in a meaty experience while enjoying fun activities. As the organizers, we wanted to promote the culture of braai. We hosted it at the ‘Garden’ which is a place of meditation and a unique recreational venue.”
Revelers attending this event were treated to braai meat while listening to a host of local DJs in a relaxed camp-chair-coolerbox type of setting. Children in attendance also enjoyed some fun in jumping castles. “We need more of these types of events seeing that the night life in Gaborone is dead. I love the atmosphere, it’s very relaxed and there is no stress,” said Lesley Malema, one of the attendants. Another reveler, Bahati Mwemutsi concurred, “You see the number of people here? It just goes to show that Batswana ba nyoretswe monate (Batswana are thirsty for fun). This is a great way to spend a Saturday evening. ”
The organizers however, failed to keep their promise of the braai competitions between local celebrities and media houses. “We were supposed to have a braai competition where local celebrities would have competed in the chicken, beef, marinade, chef’s choice and boerwors category but unfortunately circumstances did not allow. We apologize for that. We will however be giving away lots of prizes and goodies courtesy of our sponsors,” said Seitshiro during the event.
The event is expected to take place twice a year in both the Southern as well as the Northern part of the country, with the promise of an unforgettable summer experience. “This was the fi rst edition, which engaged residents of Gaborone and surrounding areas. The North edition will be a duplicate of this one which will allow Francistown or alternatively Maun residents to experience the braai festival on their turf.” The theme for the inaugural NBF was ‘Re Tja Nama’, translated to ‘we eat meat.’ The event was sponsored by Klipdrift Cola, White Star Super Maize meal and Yarona FM.