Jonny Mokhali, Cultures Spears deliver but ......

FRANCISTOWN: The Motse wa Setso Cultural Festival was not up to the mood or expectations, despite a phenomenal performance by South African music maestro, Johnny Mokhali, and well-known local traditional group, Culture Spears.

The annual cultural festival, which aims to revitalise the city’s energy and encourage cultural diversity, was held on Saturday at the Obed Itani Stadium. After the clock hit 01:30, South African musician Johnny Mokhali took the stage and mesmerised the crowd with Tswana hits like Ngwanaka, Lerato la batho ba babedi, and Lerato ka mogala. Mokhali kept the attendants on their feet with his songs Batlogeleng, Go sa itse and many others.

Around 02:55, Culture Spears took the stage, lighting it up with hits like Sibi, Selonyana, and Khudu. The cultural group performed traditional dances and Dibeisane on stage, leaving no detail unexplored.

The crowd went wild singing along to Lebante, which is one of their greatest hits. Earlier on, local traditional group, Bantolo, started the night’s performance of the night with their cultural diverse lyrics including Ikalanga songs.

The venue was experiencing power outages prior to the incredible performance, but the crowd that attended made sure to see Johnny Mokhali’s performance. The same power cuts that occurred at the same location prevented the event that was destined to begin with an official opening ceremony from taking place.

Some of the people were forced to return after travelling great distances from villages like Masunga.

A small number of families attended the family-friendly events that were scheduled to happen following the formal opening ceremony, which was made worse by the cold weather. In addition, attendees at the cultural event wore heavy coats, making it difficult for many to honour the African attire and vintage theme.

Bravo to Johnny Mokhali, Culture Spears and Bantolo for putting on an enthralling show and giving the audience value for their money inspite of all the odds.