Screaming guitars, rumbling drums and noir leather are set to come together in the much anticipated Maun Rock Fest (MRF) with a promise to put a night to remember this end of July in Maun.
In an exclusive interview, festival organiser Boago Maphane shared insight into the vision, challenges, and future of MRF, a grassroots movement born out of passion for the genre.
“Maun Rock Fest is a music festival by MetalBench Promotions. The main idea is to shine a spotlight on BW rock music and its musicians,” said Maphane. Now in its latest edition, MRF continues to stand as a rare platform for local metal and rock artists, many of whom volunteer their time and talent due to budget limitations.
Timing is everything for an outdoor event, and the winter chill plays into the festival’s character.
“Because it is an outdoor event, we thought the best dates will be out of the rainy season. Winter also allows for rock music lovers to wear their leathers to the fullest… with overcoats and all. We are expecting a diverse audience because of the diverse lineup that is planned. We have some artists who have confirmed availability but cannot be announced before some arrangements have been met,” he explained.
Maun has long been associated with wildlife and tourism, but MRF is adding a new layer to its cultural fabric.
“The Maun rock music scene is vibrant. It’s the biggest in Botswana. As such, it’s the best place to carry out an event of this magnitude. Furthermore, it’s the only rock music festival in the whole of Ngami, bringing the Best of BW metal artists.”
Asked about how this year’s lineup came together, Maphane revealed that limited funding played a major role in shaping the festival’s roster.
“We talked to the metal bands last year, in order to fundraise the bill. We had invited a lot of bands, some declined due to the little offer we had on the table. The metal bands are almost volunteering. They need the festival. We have some big budget constraints, otherwise the lineup would have included a lot of artists from other genres. We want to expose the local rock bands, as such we need to invite as many non-metal bands as we can.”
Behind the high-octane energy of MRF lies a daunting set of hurdles.
“Our biggest challenge is that our festival is not sponsored, so we don’t have financial muscle to stage the event we vision. We cannot recruit the artists we want (outside metal).” But beyond finances, there are regulatory obstacles: “Permits to do a festival in Maun are very complex and very expensive. The procedure is also disheartening and discouraging. We do festivals countrywide, but MRF is the most difficult to get permits for. To sum it up, we can say they don’t want music festivals in Maun. The by-laws are killing the music industry.”
Despite the roadblocks, MRF is proving to be a vital contributor to the local economy.
“MRF brings music tourism. The accommodation, transport, food, fuel and beverage businesses gain quite a lot during the event. Some of our patrons also visit the park while they are here.”
Looking ahead, Maphane is confident that the festival will scale new heights.
“Next year we are having two (2) international artists. We have a lot of interest from bands in South Africa, Namibia and Angola wanting to play. The main hindrance is finance. Of course, the Fest will grow bigger and better.”
And for those attending this year’s festival, Maphane had this to say:
“It’s the only festival of its kind. It’s a ‘Live music’ event. One of the only few live music events you can visit in Botswana. We got the best rock bands in the country and KOOLKAT MOTYIKO who has always been on the lineup and organizing team. It’s gonna be fun with awe-inspiring performances that will reveal the true nature of BW music scene.”
As the guitars warm up and leather jackets come out of the closet, Rock.
