Botswana Music

Botswana culture is best expressed in music and dance. There is a cordial existence of traditional folklore and modern music in the local music industry.

Indigenous Botswana music is predominantly vocal accompanied by a clapping of hands to produce a muffled rhythmic sound at heart-beat pace; but it has been modernized by introducing modern beat and increased its tempo.

Traditional folklore uses string instruments like segaba, segankure and setinkane. Renowned local artists like George Swabi and Kwata-E-Shele use the string instruments to produce unbelievably sweet sounding melodies.

Then there is the modern music produced in Botswana. Modern music which is extremely popular in Botswana comes from South Africa, United States, Europe and other parts of Africa.

Folk Music is the toast of Botswana music. The music is expressive with lyrics commenting more on the family, relationships and tradition.

Botswana folk music is commonly played by Culture Spears, Dikakapa, George Swabi, Johnny Kobedi, Stikasola, Shumba Ratshega, Ratsie Setlhako, Machesa, Kwata-E-Shele, Matsieng, Shirley and Speech Madimabe.

Click here to read about modern music genres in Botswana

Botswana is a hip hop country. The influence of western music in Botswana has been there for a long while. Hip hop got introduced in Botswana in the early 1980s, but it blossomed to life in the 1990s through the influence of Ndala DJ Sid Baitsile and David D-Ski Molosiwa.

DJ Sid is known for starting an influential hip hop music group known as P-Side which dominated the local hip hop arena for a while spurning popular artists like Scar and Zeus.

Further on, another duo comprising of David Draztik and Salim Slim Mosidinyane are credited with promoting the Botswana hip hop music industry through radio shows while at the same time they established themselves as true hip hop artists through their group called Cashless Society.

Presently, the popular Botswana hip hop artists include Scar, Zeus, Orakle, Apollo Diablo, BK Proctor, Third Mind, Stagga, Mister Doe, Mosako, Geto Flava and K-Bos.

Botswana pop music has strong influence from Europe, United States and South Africa.

Kwaito is your typical township music borrowed from South Africa, especially from the townships of Johannesburg.

The Botswana Kwaito musicians match their South African counterparts in all the areas of music sound, vocals and dance.

The local Kwaito groups include the likes of Mapetla, Skazzo, Ghavorr and P-Mag.

Kwaito Kwasa music is strictly a Botswana product, of course after it fused imported genres of Kwaito and Kwasa-Kwasa music.

Having observed that Kwasa-Kwasa was probably a bit slow, the locals thought it best to notch up the speed by adding an element of Kwaito, which is usually high tempo music. This led to the creation of Kwaito Kwasa.

Now, with Kwaito Kwasa you have a musical genre that is worked at pace and involves a bit of energy.

Vee is the musician credited for creating this genre, and some young artists are buying into it.

Kwasa-Kwasa music originates from central Africa, but it has been firmly entrenched into the local music industry.

This is an African version of rumba which is heavily reliant on the use of a single leg routine and erotic movement of hips and belly.

The best Botswana Kwasa-Kwasa artists who are also known in most African countries include Frank Franco Lesokwane, Chris Manto 7, Les Africa Sounds and Jeff Matheatau.

The Rock genre has been in Botswana for a long while.

A group called Nosey Road is credited with promoting rock music produced locally, because they came into the scene when establishing music groups was not a popular thing in Botswana.

Of course, today there are other rock music groups like Wrust and Metal Orizon.

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