Johwa aims to impress at Grahamstown Festival debut

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane
Correspondent | Tuesday May 15, 2012 00:00

 

This arts festival is Africa's largest and most colourful cultural event featuring the very best indigenous and international performers who annually converge on this Eastern Cape city of South Africa.

'This festival brings a lot of artists from all over the world to take part. I will be performing there for the first time and I aim to show the world how we play Afro jazz in Botswana,' Johwa said in an interview. He said that he intends to sell the country's music to other countries.

'I will be going there as an ambassador. I will play to impress,' he said adding that he would be playing all the songs from his seven albums along with the songs from his latest and favourite album, The Very Best Of Ndingo Johwa.  The jazz maestro said that he would also make the most of this unique opportunity to shoot his latest album's video that will be used as a marketing tool for this country's music industry.

'I want to make the best so even though it is going to cost me it will be worth it,' he said. According to him, this album has been well received in the country as many Batswana are buying it in large numbers. He said that he is happy that it is also hitting the airwaves of local radio stations.

'This trip offers us (Batswana) an opportunity to sponsor ourselves. Even though I have a few people who sponsor me, I urge Batswana to support where they can,' he told Showbiz.  He also asked the government to recognise the music industry and pleaded that authorities take arts and culture seriously as it can be the country's next money-spinner.  'Music should also be given enough support by the government.  It can become the second 'diamonds' of this country if properly looked after. We have many talented artists in this country who could, like in other countries, contribute much to the economy of this country,' he said.

Johwa complained that the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA) and other government agencies concentrate only on traditional music that they send to other countries forgetting about other music genres such as Afro jazz that has very brilliant artists who can be able to sell the country overseas.

'They have to sell all the music genres. We are also African artists who can sell our country,' he told Showbiz.  He also said that as artists they are faced with challenges. Johwa said that using two languages - Setswana and English - is a great disadvantage as he sings very good songs that people enjoy while some ignore as they do not understand his indigenous language, Ikalanga. He encourages local radio stations to start using all the indigenous languages instead of concentrating on English.