Doek & Sip festival celebrates female artists
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday May 26, 2025 12:08
According to one of the event organisers and host, Dj Laninah Benz, the event is a brainchild of friends who go by the name ‘Dj Laninah & Friends’. Dj Laninah Benz explained to Arts&Culture in an interview that the event was curated to celebrate the fine and talented women in the local creative and music industry in Botswana. She said the event will feature an all-female lineup. Furthermore, she stated that they wanted to give women in Botswana a chance to shine and show that women are capable of headlining big events and succeeding in a male-dominated industry.
“The inspiration came from the need to empower women in music in Botswana and give them a platform to shine while showing off their amazing talents. We have even included young female DJs coming from as far as Tonota and Francistown to be on the stage. Our target audience is both women and men who would like a fun day out with their friends and family,” she said. Additionally, DJ Laninah Benz pointed out that they decided to bring back the good old times with the legendary Unik Attractions. She said it has been a while since Batswana saw the group on stage. She described Unik Attractions as one of the pioneers of girl powerhouse groups in Botswana. She added that they thought it was best to bring them back to serenade and inspire the younger generation of women in the lineup. The lineup will also include Issa Sisdoh, who has one of the biggest songs in Africa called Vuma Dlozi Lam, Lucia Dottie, Drum Queen, Mis Candy and Una Sell. On the decks will be DJs such as LebGee, Sanchez Africa and DJ Girly. She noted that they wanted to make sure their lineup was diverse enough to accommodate different age groups and genres. She added that they also have Anafiki, a local music legend who has been in the industry for many years and was a unanimous choice for the team as one of the great women who have walked in the local music industry.
Moreover, she said they were selling stalls, but no food and beverage stalls would be sold as the venue would be selling at very reasonable prices. She added that women could go display and sell their business( art, jewelry, fashion items, hair, plants, etc) at just P750. Furthermore, DJ Laninah Benz said no cooler boxes and beverages from outside will be allowed, which is a venue policy. “The security will be very tight and strict. We have engaged Marshall Security and bouncers to ensure the safety and security of everyone during the event. Even the cars will be safely guarded. The biggest challenge we faced is that it is our first event, and most people do not want to take a chance on funding newbies, so financially we are burdened, but making the most work with what we have. We would love to call on potential sponsors to partner with us for our upcoming events for the good cause of empowering women in music,” she pointed out.
Additionally, she said they also had a sanitary towel drive on the day, saying they would be having baskets of hope at the entrance where people could drop off sanitary pads, which they are going to donate to young girls in need, to restore the dignity of the girl child. “We are parents. Every child belongs to the community we nurture, where we can. People should not worry about the cold weather, we intend to have mbawula fires all over the venue to keep them warm until 12pm. We encourage them to come early to enjoy all the performances and miss none,” she said. She also encouraged Batswana to come through and support the great event and also have fun.