#ilovebotswana Ensemble Returns To Wow Botswana
Thalefang Charles | Monday June 12, 2017 15:18
The production received raving reviews from thousands of travel and tourism experts who gathered in Berlin. Last week Thursday, the #ilovebotswana ensemble attempted to stage the epic production for the first time in Botswana at the GICC to some invited guests including President Ian Khama who was also in Berlin in March.
The #ilovebotswana ensemble comprised 35 multi-talented local artists including musicians and dancers. It was choreographed by the hard-working Andrew Kola of Mophato Theatre Group under the direction of the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO).
During the final preparation of the Berlin performance, Kola travelled to Berlin a week ahead of the show to work with the German production crew so that they could produce a world-class event.
The German production team brought the world-class lighting, crispy 3D surround sound and recreated props like mekoro, dikika and metshe that could not be flown to German. Their perfect coordination of the show at the City Cube Hall produced the best production ever done by Batswana at an international stage.
It was after such a success that a request was made to have the production come home to be showcased to Batswana who could not make it to Germany.
On stage, the dancers produced their amazing best in Gaborone repeating what they did in Berlin to the delight of the crowd. There was tsutsube, setapa, phathisi, borankana, dikhwaere and contemporary dances.
Even the narrator of the show, Gofaone Modise of Tsoga Africa Theatre Works and Dikhwaere Btv programme called Lobebe was once again outstanding. In the show, Modise was the “tour-guide” taking tourists around Botswana with a rather long narration that he never faltered on. Modise guided the audience into a story of Botswana’s breathtaking sunsets, wild animals, vast incredible landscapes and amazing people.
The only disappointment was the poor lighting that the crew at GICC produced. The bad light caused a strain in the audience and nearly spoilt the show. The sound was wanting too as compared to the amazing crispy sound effects that augmented the ambience of the theatrical production in Berlin.
The climax of the show was when rain fell on stage just like in Berlin. But it was unlike in Berlin where the rain came with surreal thunder from the surround system and amazing lightening effects.
Before the show, the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism Tshekedi Khama congratulated the BTO team that was leading the ITB Berlin-Botswana partnership for a sterling job and making the country proud at the world biggest travel and tourism expo. Botswana was the first sub-Saharan African country to partner with ITB Berlin.