Botswana’s music videos are no longer just dropping online and disappearing into the algorithm. Bots Top 5 Season 2 is turning reactions into celebration, criticism into growth and local creativity into prime-time continental viewing
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Botswana’s music scene is stepping into brighter lights, louder rooms and far bigger screens.
After a breakout first season, Bots Top 5 returns with a sharper format, bigger ambition and a simple mission: put Botswana’s music videos where they belong, in front of Africa.
Premiering on Channel O (DStv Channel 320) last week Friday, the new season transforms from a straightforward countdown into a full-blown music video reaction show meets chart culture spectacle, hosted once again by creative industry force Mdu Tha Party.
And the numbers have grown with the ambition: 20 episodes instead of 10, more creators, more opinions and more eyes on Botswana.
THE REACTION ECONOMY
Forget cold judging panels.
This season gathers musicians, DJs, makeup artists, videographers, broadcasters and creators into one room to react to local music videos and decide the official Bots Top 5 chart.
Guests including EY Brizzy, Freddie Pro, DJ Chabo, Sadi Dikgaka, Katlego Ramphaleng and dozens more bring different lenses to the conversation from performance and cinematography to styling, storytelling and visual execution.
“We upgraded the concept from season one to season two,” Mdu Tha Party told Time Out. “Now the new concept is that it’s a reaction show and a countdown show.”
But the show isn’t built for takedowns.
“We communicated vehemently and very clearly that it is a positive sentiment show. In layman’s terms, we asked them to talk about what they like, not what they don’t like.”
MADE IN BOTSWANA
Season Two only considers music videos released between 2024 and 2026, signalling a shift from catching up to actively documenting Botswana’s current creative moment.
Every genre gets invited from hip-hop and amapiano to jazz, folklore, funk and neo-soul.
Filmed entirely in Botswana with a high-energy visual style inspired by classic Channel O aesthetics, the production received P960,460.28 through the CIPA Levy on Technical Devices Fund (LTDF), with support helping turn an ambitious idea into a continental showcase.
CIPA Caretaker Registrar General, Godfrey Molefe said: “As CIPA and the LTDF, we remain committed to supporting projects that stimulate creativity and contribute to the growth of Botswana’s creative industries.”
THE REAL CHART TO WATCH
For Mdu Tha Party, success isn’t just views.
The dream is Season Three and getting private sector partners to help move the culture faster.
“The show is going to air to 50 countries in Africa,” he says. “We’re just trying to get the private sector to hop on the wave.”
Bots Top 5 isn’t only counting videos. It’s counting on Botswana to believe in its own sound.