Last week, Botswana Ignite, a project founded by President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Steve Harvey aimed at cultivating skilled professionals to produce high-quality local content and attract international productions, hosted a media briefing at the Mass Media Complex to provide an update on the filming of the Family Feud Botswana Edition
The renowned American TV personality took a break from the production, which is currently taking place in Cape Town, to share insights into the progress made and what audiences can expect from the show.
During the briefing, Harvey revealed that they have filmed 12 out of the expected 26 episodes, which are set to air later this year.
“I’m currently enjoying this shoot. The only challenge we face is the language barrier, but that’s manageable. We’re making significant progress, and I believe we’ll be finished in a matter of weeks,” he stated.
Harvey praised the intelligence of the Batswana, noting, “I’ve never met such educated people while shooting in Africa. Everyone I’ve worked with here is either a doctor, nurse, teacher, or accountant. This shows that your government is doing well, especially with the provision of free education.”
When asked why he chose to shoot the show in South Africa instead of Botswana, despite previously mentioning the state-of-the-art facilities at the Mass Media Complex, Harvey explained, “While the facilities here are impressive, the space is not suitable for a show like Family Feud. However, you have land at the Mass Media Complex, and I encourage you to seek funding from your president to build larger studios that could support Hollywood-caliber productions and potentially host a second edition of the show here.”
He reassured attendees that even though the filming is in South Africa, they are employing local Batswana for the production.
Duncan Irvine, Botswana Ignite’s Programme Director also provided an update, highlighting the success of their TV Academy, which has graduated over 20 students. Additionally, their wildlife TV documentary programme has produced over 80 graduates.
