Mma Botswana bring creative spark
In an effort to give youth a platform to showcase their creative abilities, Mma Botswana Old Age Harmony Foundation have come up a special talent show.
The first set of auditions played out at Francistown Senior Secondary School’s spacious hall over the weekend (May 04, 2024), attracting more than 100 young hopefuls from the second city and surrounding areas.
Categories included: drama, singing, poetry and dance, each carrying a P10, 000 first-place prize.
One after the other contestants took to the stage, showcasing their various talents as they sought a place in the next round.
However, American electronic/dance legend, Dwayne W. Tyree proved hard to impress in his role as Head Judge, with only 13 youngsters doing enough to progress to the next stage.
Roped in for his musical expertise and experience in a career spanning nearly 50 years, Tyree’s presence gave the event a genuine ‘big-time’ feel.
In a brief interview with Voice Entertainment, the foundation’s President, Reginah Mma Botswana Valentine explained the show was meant to empower youth and offer a platform for self-discovery.
“Lately there has been a surge of alcohol and drug abuse by our youth, caused by lack of entertainment programmes which can keep them busy after school or during their free time. So many of them have hidden talents which is impossible for them to show to the world, because of unavailability of initiatives like ours, hence we came up with this talent show,” noted Valentine, whose non-profit organisation was originally set-up to empower old age pensioners but has since incorporated younger generations into its mandate.
Following the success of the first auditions, further try-outs will be held in Francistown this week, with organisers extending a special invitation to persons living with disabilities.
“We want to ensure inclusivity and diversity in our search for Botswana’s hidden gem’s,” said Valentine, who is yet to confirm a date for the finals and hopes to hold further auditions around the country.
Saturday’s opener ( (May 04, 2024) took place in collaboration with Ysiad Trendy Collections, who assisted with participant registration.