Kopong’s Green Carpet goes big
It promises to be the biggest edition of the annual Green Carpet music festival this year after the organisers went for Limpopo musical heavyweights, Sdala B & Paige to headline the event. The event will be held on September 30 at 2-9 Farm just a few kilometers north of Kopong Village under the theme “Green with envy”.
Since inception in 2013, Sdala B & Paige will be the first international acts to perform at the festival. The event was conceived by a group of diverse friends in 2013 to give platform to local artists and DJs to showcase their talents. The event has been held at different venues in Kopong, which is its home ground. Green Carpet has attracted attention from an average of 2,000 revellers over the years from the host village Kopong and surrounding villages including Lentsweletau, Metsimotlhabe, Medie, Kgope, Gakuto as well as the entire greater Gaborone.
With the inclusion of Sdala B & Paige this term, the organisers are targeting the biggest crowd ever in close to a decade of the event’s existence. The duo of the Nyiyazifela Ngwae EP fame, have been making waves in the country. Speaking to Arts & Culture and speaking on behalf of the organisers, Mafhikeng Ncapedi said they have collaborated in the promotion of arts and social gathering with lending a hand in the community they operate in.
“We are to promote social cohesion and unity in the community for different common causes. Influence collaboration by local communities with local brands and companies doing business in and around the communities in the district.
Also to mobilise the youth for a common purpose especially promoting care for the environment while we also provide a platform for upcoming local artists to showcase their talents and earn some income to improve their livelihoods,” said Ncapedi.
“Over the years organisers of the event have been donating the proceedings to charity as a way of giving back to the community. The latest donation was in 2020 responding to President Masisi’s call for assistance to fight against COVID 19. The Green Carpet team donated food hampers to eight needy families in Kopong,” Ncapedi said. To perform alongside the South African duo is drum king, Chrispin The Drummer, Ricky Lamar and Jam-n-i amongst other local acts. Comedian, Pompi will be the MC for the night.
“Over the years the event only gave preference to local artists and DJs especially from the host village and surrounding areas. This year saw growth of the event as for the first time it will host an international performer from South Africa in Sdala B & Paige. This is the first of its kind and will be complimented by a litter campaign, which will see organisers and other stakeholders picking litter at problematic areas in the host village on the eve of the event,” Ncapedi also said.
“This year’s event is themed “Green with envy” where we give our revellers a chance to express themselves the “Green way” in an attempt to raise awareness on taking care of the environment hence a new feature of the litter campaign for this year’s edition,” Ncapedi said. Tickets for the event are selling at an early bird price of P100 while VIP seats go for P200. The revellers will be charged P150 at the gate.