Lesotho jazz ace Bhudaza returns to dazzle fans

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday August 25, 2011 00:00

He is scheduled to perform with local songbird Punah Gabasiane on Sunday.

Gabasiane, who is arguably one of the best female vocalists in Botswana, has performed at the Millennium on numerous occasions.  As usual she is expected to thrill her followers.

Last weekend she performed at a Gaborone hotel with the Women of Jazz to raise funds for charity. 

Gabasiane will obviously give Bhudaza a good run for his money.  The master of ceremonies (MC) will be Mokaragana presenter, Joel Keitumile of Ntsoro fame.

A local promotions company, Romeo Mashaba Promotions, is promoting the Sunday show.

The co-director of the Millennium, Shima Monageng, said in an interview on Tuesday that preparations for the show were at an advanced stage.  He said the concert was going to kick-start their summer festivals.

Show promoter Fatima Gabatshwane confirmed that everything was on course.  She said they were expecting Bhudaza in the country by yesterday evening.  'All systems are in place for the show,' she said.

She pointed out that the Millennium has sufficient space to accommodate the large crowd that is expected on Sunday. 

Gabatshwane said the Bhudaza concert is just one of the many shows that they have lined up ahead of the festive season.  She said they are also going to organise a cultural festival titled, Re Ja Tlhako at the Millennium. 

Although he had performed in Gaborone before, this will be Bhudaza's first show at the Millennium.  Bhudaza became popular in the country after he released his first album, Bo-Mapefane in the early 2000s.

Monageng recalled that they were the first to introduce the album in Botswana through their music company, Kgalagadi Jazz.  He said they have been inundated with requests to bring the Lesotho artist again.

Bhudaza has since released two more albums.  But he has not performed in the country for a long time.

One of the venues where he performed when he was in the country is the Botswana Television (Btv) Amphitheatre at the Mass Media Complex, Gaborone.

Monageng said they are always willing to promote local talent at the Millennium.  He said it is good to combine the local talent with international artists.  'We are trying to promote local artists to perform in conjunction with their foreign counterparts,' he said.

Monageng said in as much as they want to promote local artists, they would also like to work with upcoming promoters, which is why they have teamed up with Romeo Mashaba Promotions to organise this show. 

He said as an experienced promoter, he wants to share his experiences with young promoters. 

'After more than 20 years in showbiz promotion, one would like to transfer skills to younger promoters,' said Monageng during an interview, as he worked on the logistics of the Bhudaza-Gabatshwane show.

The Millennium is one of the popular jazz joints, having hosted a number of  prominent local and South African artists like Ringo Madlingozi and Steve Kekana.  Monageng said some of the shows that they intend to organise will include a fund-raising concert for Miss Millennium Charity.