13 Jun 2022

The organiser of the first Teen Festival Oteng Ntshinogang says the Saturday event was not only a success but was fun-filled and alcohol free.  

The festival, which was held at Gaborone Club, attracted scores of teenagers from Gaborone and beyond.

For some parents in attendance, the event took them to the yesteryears of teen time shows.

Hosted by The Effective Firm Events Company, the show brought a scintillating line-up which was well received by the teenagers.

“We have achieved our goal of hosting a clean fun entertainment for the teens with all artistes billed to perform being on board,” said Ntshinogang.

However, he said, South African artist Uncle Vinny did not show up, and they were yet to establish reasons for not turning up as they had met their contractual obligations.

Ntshinogang said they believed they had successfully launched their concept of children’s entertainment. He promised youngsters to look out for more of such events with more variety in future.

Sharing their experiences of the show, teenagers expressed excitement at having their own music festival.

“I am excited at this idea and hope promoters will have day events such as this one for us,” said Bombo Phadi from Serowe.

She said she planned a trip to visit her cousins in Gaborone in order to attend the show.

“The show seemed exciting and I am thrilled I came because I enjoyed and even met my favourite star Pabi Cooper,” Bombo said.

For other teens, the show was an opportunity to network and present their talents to performing artistes.

One teenager, Trish Moepa said she likes dancing and when FME DJs invited some of them on stage to dance she could not resist as she has always wanted to show her skills.

Trish said she hoped for more of such events which gave them opportunities to shine and at the same time enjoy themselves.

In an interview the FME DJs said their supporters were mostly school going children and tertiary students and were always excited to perform for them.

“The children are the future, and we should not ignore them. We should have such events and initiatives to encourage artistically talented ones who aspire to be in the entertainment industry,” said DJ Dee Bond of FME DJs.

Dj Dee Bond said they empowered youths by working with them and allowing them to be creative and giving them a platform to show their skills and talents.

On their collaborations with other internationally acts, FME DJs said they were working on a project with Lady Du, an amapiano artiste from South Africa.

“We have projects lined up with our fans’ favourite artistes from South Africa, Namibia and other countries,” said Piet The DJ adding that they also ventured into comedy to increase their fan base.

South African Pabi Cooper challenged Botswana artistes to interact with her and send her their work. “I am open for new collaborations, so anyone willing to work with me can do so by hitting me up on my email which is on my social handles,” said Pabi Cooper.

The 21-year-old who said she once wanted to be an actor, attributed God for her success.

She said praying kept her motivated and going.

“Praying really keeps me going. As a young artiste, it is only through prayer for me to achieve all my goals,” she said.

Pabi Cooper said she always prayed about everything she wished for and wrote it down.

The next teen festival is scheduled for December and the organiser promises a better and more appealing one . ENDS