On Thursday 27th May 2021, the creators of The Good Radio Project announced on social media, that the well-received Good Radio Awards are back, finally. GRA2021 Categories and Call for Nomination Submission were released on Friday 11th June 2021.
The awards – a first of their kind for the dominant player in Botswana’s creative industry; Botswana’s radio broadcasting – were last held in 2017 and have been dormant for 3 years, with 2021 set to be the year in which the long awaited celebration of Botswana’s radio broadcasting talent takes place again. “Following numerous attempts to resuscitate this project, I can confidently share with you, that the awards have a pulse again and we can all anticipate nothing short of a thrilling and engaging journey on the road to the awards ceremony, which we plan to host in October 2021 or later in the year!” said Oratile Jazzelle Kebakile, renown radio broadcasting veteran, MD of The Confidence Office and founder of the Good Radio Awards.
“It took us 3 years to return because we underwent several teachable moments and challenges common to first-time projects and events in our country. As a self-funded and new project, our budgets in 2017 were very modest which presented a variety of limitations, but we remain eternally grateful to the 2017 sponsors that believed in our vision and made it possible for this infant project to conduct the first awards against all odds and be able to reward our inaugural winners with dignified cash prizes. It is only now that we feel ready to pick up where we left off and do this again – this time with the priceless experience from 2017 and new partners to take us even further in 2021.”
Citing exciting developments on radio in Botswana across the board including the growth of young personalities in the game and the emerging new talent on air as inspiration to bring back the Good Radio Awards, Kebakile called upon brands and organisations in both the corporate and government sectors which utilise radio to communicate with their stakeholders, to engage with her about partnership and sponsorship to reward these outstanding talents and make this year’s awards one for the history books.
“Talks have begun with both old and new sponsors and I am excited about the prospects coming up. We shall be making various announcements as we build up to the voting process and awards ceremony.”
Kebakile further stated that as she and her team embark on this tremendous endeavor for the love of Botswana radio broadcasting, she draws great motivation from the actions of late by leaders in the entertainment industry such as Zenzele Hirschfeld and the BOMU Women’s Wing, Seabelo Modibe of the Total Music Group and the 10th Annual BOMU Awards team, as well as Losika Seboni of Footprints Advertising and the 2021 My African Dream team.
In its first year, the project saw Batswana talents emerge as Award Winning Radio Broadcasters as voted for by the general public. Notably, Duma FM was crowned as Best Radio Station of The Year, and their former morning radio personality Goaba Mojakgomo was a major winner with Best Presenter Award and Best Weekday Show Award.
Seasoned reporter Boemo Dibeela of RB1 & 2 won Best Newsreader Award while the velvety-voiced Resego Motlhokathari’s Sunday Ballads won Best Weekend Show Award. Yarona FM’s well-informed Martin Fanie took home Best Sports Reporter Award, Gabz FM’s delightful Gaone Kgaswanyane won Best Weekend Presenter Award while the legendary Justice Gaolekwe was named Lifetime of Good Radio Award winner.
This year’s radio awards nominees will be selected by a panel of judges made up of leading practitioners in the creative industry both in Botswana and in Africa, to be announced in due course.
This year, radio talent is required to submit material for review by the Good Radio Awards Judging Panel. Details have been made available, on the social media pages of The Good Radio Awards 2021 (GRA2021) with voting process to be announced in due course.
The Good Radio Awards are a production of The Confidence Office, a Motswana woman-owned and new Entertainment PR company that aims at creating powerful platforms for the elevation of creative industry talent in Botswana. This year, The Voice Newspaper has been revealed as Print Media Partner for GRA2021 with more collaborative partnerships to be announced soon.