Ditiro Leero hosts One-Man show Mike N MsTi for the world
To showcase lebebe la ngwao In demand for international dance festival appearances
Ditiro Leero needs no introduction when it comes to traditional music in Botswana. The poetic musician will host his first ever One Man annual show to engage with his fans.
The show that is organised by Maganamokgwa Ensemble is scheduled for this month end on October 28th at Zone 4 Farm, Selokolela.
Public Relations Officer and Promoter of this event, Dops Baipidi told Vibe that this event is mainly meant to celebrate Ditiro as an excellent musician that the country has ever had. “The main reason why we have organized the event is because it is a fact that Ditiro Leero has a story to tell about his music journey. So we found it fit to unfold this through a musical concert in the form of edutainment rather than just entertainment,” he said.
“Secondly, we want to inspire everyone who went through muddy and dusty roads that there is still life and hope after the downfall, and to give them a lesson that the downfall of a man is not the end of his life,” he added.
The dancing couple, Mike N MsTi is set to take the local dance platform to the next level through their amazing talent.
Just recently, the couple, Olebogeng Mike Montsho and Tshepiso MsTi Montsho participated at the intercultural exchange festival for ‘African and Latin cultures through dance fashion and tourism’ in Mozambique.
The duo has been active and rolling for 13 years now. They told Vibe that it was the first time that they managed to perform at an international level. “This was a dream come true for us. It was the first time were on the line of showing our art talent and represent our country with over 20 countries. We managed to finally be on an international stage which has been our dream for the past 13 years that we have been dancing full time locally,” they said.
This was a breakthrough for them and the kind of exposure that they have always wanted. They are now invited to the same festival in Zanzibar, Cape Town, Joburg and Angola, where they will share the stage with European, American and Asians and even other African professional artists.
The show in Zanzibar is this week from today (Wednesday) 18-25 October, while the one in Cape Town starts from 26-30 October, and Johannesburg starts on November 15th, while it would be held on November 17th in Suncity, November 26th in Angola and finally on February 10th in New York.
Tshepiso told Vibe that they are excited about this opportunity. “We are very proud of ourselves and excited because we believe that this is going to build and expose our profile and enable us to be known, trusted and booked in other countries, especially at related festivals,” she said.
The couple’s lamentation is lack of financial resources. She explained that most often they would get invitations where they are meant to perform and be paid later on but they usually fail to attend because of lack of funds.
“We had financial challenges as we had no funds to travel or attend to invitations and it’s really limiting us,” she said.
On that special day, the audience would witness the Cultural dance moves from various performers, tswana poetry, indigenous instruments like segaba and katara, with traditional food and attire. The show is open for everyone. It is expected to start in the morning to cater for both adults and children. Baipidi further added that the active population would enjoy throughout the whole night as various artistes will be performing. The legendary Ditiro Leero, will share the stage with a variety of other talented artistes including, Dr Vom, MmaAusi, Matsieng, Machesa, Tawana ya koma, Kgokgonono, Gape Bame, Fox Matlopi, Sua Pan, Mmalaloo, Kario, Serurubele, Ntirelang Bernan and Mokgalajwe. Baipidi added that they were very intentional about the selection of their artistes as they want to show off with the rich and creamy taste of local traditional music. Stalls at the event are already sold out.
“The security will be tight because we have hired professional security guards, bouncers and car marshals to protect our clients and their belongings,” Baipidi said.
They have an exceptional VIP package called Lesamutlha VIP package which includes Ditiro Leero’s different cds and a branded mug.
Further that for the Mozambique trip, they risked travelling without enough funds for meals and their upkeep, for the sake of exposure. She added that they saw the need to explore and move out of their comfort zone.
Tshepiso pleaded with any corporates who support such kind of cultural exchange in terms of dance to support them so that they do not miss any invite in the future.
“We currently do not have funds to travel even to festivals we are invited for but we continue to keep the faith that we will manage to attend and represent Botswana,” she said.