Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

is an African country made up of different ethnic groups, although

Batswana The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the pop ...

are the majority of the population. Music is a large part of

Botswana culture Besides referring to the language of the dominant people groups in Botswana, ''Setswana'' is the adjective used to describe the rich cultural traditions of the Batswana - whether construed as members of the Setswana ethnic groups or of all citi ...

, and includes popular and folk forms. Botswana

church choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

s are common nationwide.

Tswana people The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the pop ...

were the earliest inhabitants of the land that is today known as Botswana and played its first music. Beginning in the 19th century,

Immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

began arriving in large numbers and they called the colony Bechuanaland.

Popular music

Just like other

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n countries, popular music in Botswana is called "

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

"; however, it has little resemblance to the

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

genre of the same name. There is an initiative to focus on revitalizing the Botswana music industry, instead of relying on foreign releases. Popular music in Botswana still comes from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

or elsewhere in Africa. '' Gumba-gumba'' is a form of modernized Zulu and

Tswana Tswana may refer to: * Tswana people, the Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions * Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people * Bophuthatswana, the former ba ...

music, mixed with

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

jazz. The music of

is minor in the world music scene. Botswana music is introduced from the British music media and French music media.

Botswana hip hop

Hip hop is a cultural movement, of which music is a part. Hip hop music for the most part is itself composed of two parts: rapping, the delivery of swift, highly rhythmic and lyrical vocals; and DJing and/or producing, the production of instrumentation through sampling,

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

turntablism Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA sys ...

, or

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

, the production of musical sounds through vocalized tones.^{35/sup> The national hip hop radio show ''Strictly Hip Hop'', hosted by Draztik and Slim
Slim or SLIM may refer to:

Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slim Goodbody, a fictional character who teaches about anatomy
* Slim, one of the alien antagonists of the 1988 film '' Killer Klowns from Outer Space''
* Slim, the Pixl fro ...
(of the Cashless Society

In a cashless society, financial transactions are not conducted with physical banknotes or coins, but instead with digital information (usually an electronic representation of money). Cashless societies have existed from the time when human so ...
Crew and co-founders of Unreleased Records), has done much for the Botswana hip-hop scene. Dagee Records and Phat Boy are a noted hip-hop record labels

A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
. Motswako

Motswako is a Southern African subgenre of hip hop popular in South Africa. It consists of a mix of rap lyrics in both the local language ( Setswana) and English layered on a steady beat. Other languages used include Sesotho, Zulu and Afrika ...
is also a popular genre.

Folk music

Tswana music is primarily vocal, performed without drums and makes extensive use of string instruments,

particularly the guitar

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
and bow harp. In the absence of drums, a clapping rhythm is used in music with a typical call-and-response

Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

vocal style.

Music, dance styles
* Borankana
* Woso

WOSO (1030 kHz) was a commercial AM radio station broadcasting an English-language talk radio format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, it served the San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area. The station was owned by Sherman Broadcas ...

* Machomane
* Maele
* Iperu
* Dihosana
* Chikicha
* Chesa
* Huru
* Mokomoto
* Ndazola
* Phathisi
* Selete
* Setapa
* Stibikoko
* Tsutsube

Tsutsube is a traditional dance and accompanying music in Botswana which is practiced by Basarwa or San people. Tsutsube is performed in four ritualistic categories or stages which are the first kill, puberty, marriage and trance. According to ...

Musicians
* Batladira Radipitse
* Hanif Bhika
* House Embassy
* Culture Spears
* Dikakapa
* George Swabi
* Jonny Kobedi
* Kabelo Mogwe
* Kwataeshele
* Machesa Traditional Troupe
* Matsieng

Matsieng is a Setswana traditional music trio formed in 2005 in Gaborone, Botswana. They burst into the scene with their 2005 festive season album, Semakaleng. Known for their explicit lyrics, the trio has toured Botswana, Malaysia and South Afr ...

* Mokorwana
* Poifo le Wonder
* Ratsie Setlhako
* Shirley
Shirley may refer to:

Arts and entertainment
* ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë
* ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film
* ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film
* ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

* Shumba Ratshega
* Speech Madimabe
* Spider-Man
* Lord T
* NamelessTheBully
* skim same dance
* Andrsn CK
* Nkatlang "Sepekere" Maikano
* William Last Krn
* Teddy West
* Shaba Stele
* AbTheActivist
* ABITOLA
* Dintleonthetrack

Afro-pop/Jazz

This genre has been influenced by South Africa

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
n artists. It found its way into Botswana, where it is popular. In Botswana

Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
artists found a way to incorporate South African Jazz, disco music, and Botswana traditional dances and songs to make it more appealing to local and international audience. Afro-pop and Afro-Jazz artists include:

* Mr. Tagg
* TIRELO
* Juju Vine
* Lizibo
* Motlha
* Astley Gops
* Lydia Oile
* Thuli
* Samantha Mogwe
* Mpho Sebina
* Katlego Tau
* Unik Attraction
* Tu Unik
* Serwalo Masasa
* Puna Gabasiane
* Donald Botshelo
* Socca Moruakgomo
* Shanti-Lo
* Trevor Mabua
* Kagiso Mangole
* Brando Keabilwe
* Dr Vom
* HAN-C
* Dato seiko
* AMANTLE BROWN
* POIFO MOTLADILE
* Kabelo Tiro
* Ubuntu Band
* Flaque X
* Khoisan
* Vadar

Volume, Area, Dihedral Angle Reporter (VADAR) is a freely available protein structure validation web server that was developed as a collaboration between Dr. Brian Sykes and Dr. David Wishart at the University of Alberta. VADAR consists of over 1 ...

Big band Crew

Kwaito music

This genre originates from the township

A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.

Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
s of Johannesburg. It has now found its way into Botswana, where it is becoming popular. Odirile Vee Sento's first album was released from Black Money Maker label.
Kwaito artists include :
* Ghavorr
* Mapetla
* P-Mag
* Skazzo
* KIN Bw
* MMP Family
* SEVEN ELEVEN
* FOCUS Bw
* Odirile Vee Sento
* COLOZA
* LETSO
* Khayas

Kwasa kwasa

An African version of rhumba, popularised in Central Africa, kwasa kwasa
Kwassa kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) is a dance created by Jeanora, a mechanic in Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that started in the 1980s, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popul ...
has a strong following in Botswana

Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
and has produced a number of musicians. It has a slower rhythm than original rhumba (increasing in tempo towards the middle of the song) and is calmer in style than its parent form, Afro-rhumba.

Some artists have attempted to speed up kwasa kwasa and make it more danceable. Artist Vee is one; his style is known as ''kwaito kwasa'', a combination of kwaito music and kwasa kwasa rhythms and guitar. Kwassa kwassa artists include:John Quaine and Gofaone El'Jeff Mfetane. Franco and Afro Musica was popular in Botswana.

* 12 Volts
* Alfredo "BBB" Mos and Les Africa Sounds
* Bee Musica
* Biza Mupulu
* Franco and Afro Musica
* Frankata
* El'Jeff and Bango Africa La Musica
* Fresh-Les
* Jeff "IGWE" Matheatau and The Yakho Band
* Kwasa Kwasa
Kwassa kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) is a dance created by Jeanora, a mechanic in Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that started in the 1980s, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popul ...
Band
* Tumza and The Big Bullets
* Odirile Sabata
* Tyte
* Alberto and Yaah Mussikka

Rock and metal

The development of rock music's popularity in Botswana has been gradual. The music has begun to gain momentum, partly due to mainstream media such as MTV, Channel O

Channel O is a South African-based music channel which first started transmission in 1997. Its main concept is African music in Africa and the diaspora.

Channel O can be accessed via DStv, a satellite pay TV service for pan-African households. T ...
and the internet. The native Batswana have demonstrated an appreciation for this genre, and since 2000 many new bands have been formed; most play locally, but a few have toured southern Africa. Rock culture has been recognized with bands uniting in a "Rock Against AIDS" tour. Crackdust was famous Metal band in Botswana.
Notable bands include:

*Amok
* Crackdust
*Disciplinary
*Dust "n" Fire
*Metal Orizon
*No!semakers On Parade
*Nosey Road
*Overthrust

A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks.
Thrust geometry and nomenclature

Reverse faults
A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less.

If ...

*Remuda
*Skeletal Saints
*Skinflint

A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone who ...

*Sms Blues Band
*Stane
*Stealth
*Vitrified
*Wraith
* Wrust

The National Music Eisteddfod is held annually in Selebi-Phikwe

Selebi-Phikwe (also spelt ''Selibe Phikwe'') is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District.
Mining
...
.

Industry and economics

Radio stations in Botswana

Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
often broadcast popular music. Each music station has a format, or a category of songs to be played; these are generally similar to but not the same as ordinary generic classification. Many radio stations in Botswana are locally owned media.

An independent music industry (''indie music'') does exist and artists remain at an indie label for their entire careers. Indie music may be in styles generally similar to mainstream music, but is often inaccessible, unusual, or otherwise unappealing to many people. Indie musicians often release some or all of their songs over the Internet for fans and others to download and listen.

Education

Music is an important part of education in Botswana
Education in Botswana is provided by public schools and private schools. Education in Botswana is governed by the Ministries of Basic Education. and Tertiary, Research Science and Technology Among sub-Saharan African countries, Botswana has one o ...
, and is a part of most or all school systems in the country. Music education is generally not mandatory in junior schools, and is an elective in later years. High schools generally offer classes in singing, mostly choral, and instrumentation in the form of a large school band

A school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental music together. A concert band is usually under the direction of one or more conductors (band directors). A school band consists of woodwind instruments, brass ...
.

Large universities

A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
account for most of the music degrees in the United States, though there are important small music academies

An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
and conservatories. University music departments may sponsor bands ranging from marching bands that are an important part of collegiate sporting events, prominently featuring fight song

A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...
s, to barbershop groups, glee club

A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
s, jazz ensembles and symphonies, and may additionally sponsor musical outreach programs, such as by bringing foreign performers to the area for concerts.

Holidays and festivals

Music is an important part of several Botswana holidays, playing a major part in the celebration of Christmas

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
.

Botswana is home to numerous music festivals, which showcase styles ranging from house to jazz

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
to hip hop. Some music festivals are opened in local areas.

References

External links

* https://botswanaunplugged.com/9787/10-botswana-artists-watch-2018/

See also

*Afrobeat

Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

* Burundi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Botswana
Botswana music}