Okavango Cultural Productions in collaboration with H&C Magazine will this coming Independence Holidays bring to Maun three days of splendid fun as they will be hosting the inaugural annual ‘Maun Carnival’ from September 29th to October 1st.
The carnival that brings an exciting and unique celebration of local culture, music and tourism will be held under the theme, “Art, Music, Tourism and Culture.” According to organisers of the event, it will promote domestic and international travel while boosting Ngamiland’s local economy.
“Furthermore the carnival will bring fanfare to Botswana’s tourism hub, and showcase the uniqueness of our people and tourism industry,” a statement revealed.
The organisers have also roped in the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO), which has a mandate to develop and improve existing tourism opportunities as well as diversifying the sector to include other forms of tourism such as cultural and heritage tourism, eco-tourism, entertainment, recreational and leisure tourism.
The carnival will comprise of a street parade on the first day (September 29) followed by a family fun day on Friday 30th which will feature exciting family games such as mhele, 5 aside and face paintings for children at Fish Boro. Later in the evening there will be a festival headlined by Mafikizolo (South African Afro-pop music duo) and other local artists including the likes of Stiga Sola, Lezibo, Nature BW, Berry Heart and many others.
Mafikizolo will for the first time perform their latest album ‘Idwala’ that was recently released on the 26th of August. On the final day, tour operators will have the opportunity to sell their packages for various excursions that will include one on Boro for an exciting river experience with canoe rides and boat cruising.
Organisers of the event along with BTO recently held a stakeholder meeting in Maun to brief them about the carnival which is expected to attract so many revelers from all across the country and international tourists as well. Different speakers updated the stakeholders on the event among them, Event Coordinator Emang Mutapati, Gilbert PP Seagile and BTO’s Tourism Development Manager, Thatayaone Mmapatsi.
According to Mutapati, the event will provide a platform for those in attendance to learn about Ngamiland’s culture portrayed through various cultural games, musical performances and a variety of cultural foods from different parts of the country.
She revealed that the intension is to resurrect the event as it used to be celebrated in Maun some years back. “This event will be held annually from this year onwards,” she added. Mutapati noted that they are to meet with the village elders so that they can identify a suitable place to hold the street parade that will be held on September 29th.
For his part, Mmapatsi buttressed that the carnival will promote Maun as a tourism destination especially after the devastating effects of Covid-19 on tourism industry.
He stressed that the event will have a huge positive economic impact on locals. “All the accommodation facilities will be fully booked, public transport (buses and taxis) will be transporting people to and from the events, and the street vendors will also have an opportunity to provide food, drinks and airtime during the events,” he said.
