- The artists will deliver a compelling performance telling the Botswana story
- This first of its kind concert marks Africa’s independence, freedom and liberation across the continent
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Music enthusiasts across the continent will get front row seats to witness soulful R&B duo KhoiSan and multiple award winning contemporary dance troupe Mophato Dance Theatre performing in an online concert. Dubbed the FNB Africa Day Concert, the virtual show is slated for 25 May 2021 and is aimed at celebrating African unity, diversity and talent.
Led by FNB Namibia, the bank’s African subsidiaries collaborated to bring together artists from Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini and Lesotho.
“This is to mark Africa Day, the annual commemoration of Africa’s independence, freedom and liberation across the continent,” said FNB Communications and PR Manager, Boga Chilinde-Masebu, in an interview. “This is our way of bringing the excitement and pride of the day and giving back to our customers by providing them with safe and exhilarating entertainment.”
Mophato Dance Troupe and KhoiSan were shortlisted through a Facebook poll hosted by FNB. The aim was to select artists to represent the country based on their ability to seamlessly tell the country’s African story by showcasing its culture and heritage. Chilinde-Masebu said the public then voted for KhoiSan and Mophato Dance Theatre to represent Botswana at this first of its kind concert.
“The artists will collaborate and deliver a compelling performance not only to entertain but to tell the Botswana story,” Chilende-Masebu said. “The performance will be recorded here at home and their videos sent to Namibia for packaging. Over the past months, our innovative digital platforms have enabled our customers to do their banking digitally in the comfort of their homes and we are excited to extend this digitalisation to our events and connect with customers all over the country and across the continent.”
Contemporary dance ensemble Mophato Dance Theatre continues to break the music dreads through excellence and perseverance. “Mpuledise” hitmakers Thabang Rasefako and Oratile Kofa, who call themselves KhoiSan, who have been dominating radio airwaves with their hits, are set to invade the world stage with their authentic Setswana sound.
The Africa Day concert will be a mix of music, song and dance that will showcase performers from diverse backgrounds collaborating to create Afro-inspired musical magic. Other featured artists for the Africa Day concert include Top Cheri and PDK from Namibia, Sands and Velemseni from Eswatini, Ntate Stunna and Botala ba Linare from Lesotho and Yaw Tog from Ghana. The event will be streamed on the FNB Botswana and FNB Namibia Facebook pages.