Maitisong Festival

by © Paul Dodson 2008

Festival Location: Gaborone, Botswana

Festival Type(s): Traditional Music Festivals , Folk Dancing Festivals | Traditional Dancing Festivals, Arts Festivals

The annual Maitisong Festival is the largest performing arts festival in Botswana, a great showcase for both established and up and coming local talent and the regions biggest party to boot.

For nine days each April the Maitisong Festival takes place in many venues around Botswana's capital city, Gaborone. There's theatre, traditional music and dance, marimba bands, choirs and a range of more western-influenced styles of dance and music. Street sellers provide the food and drink and the whole city takes on a carnival atmosphere.

The festival features two main programmes. There's a free outdoor programme, which is staged at four centres around the capital - two of which are high-density, low-income areas and two at local shopping malls - and there's an indoor programme, which takes place at various venues around Gaborone - including the Little Theatre at the National Museum and the Anglican Church. The indoor programme is ticketed and in the past has featured many prominent acts from around Africa.

For nine days a year the Maitisong Festival is a great opportunity for the local community of Gaborone to mingle, dance in the streets and let their hair down. If you're ever in that part of the world come April I suggest you do the same.