The YAMAs on international benchmark

The intention when starting the Botswana Yarona FM Music Awards (YAMAs) ceremony was and still is to acknowledge and celebrate artistic flair in various entertainment streams while annually honouring home-grown artists.

Reads a Press Release from the YAMAs secretariat.  “Yarona FM saw the need to appreciate and honour local talent hence in 2014 started the annual award ceremony popularly known as the YAMAs. Inspired by both South African and American awards, the YAMAs has consistently raised the bar for the ceremony, leaving the audience eagerly waiting for more.

2018 became a vibrant year for the local awards which saw astounding performances from the likes of Amantle Brown, hit songs such as khiring khorong by ATI becoming national anthems and musicians entrenching their place as household names”.

For Botswana, event management blended with the music arts and related industries is arguably an ignored economic support. Berridge and Bowding, international acclaimed event experts and critics argue that this new eventing phenomenon can change global economies as it has been the case with America and United Kingdom.

According to the statement, history was made in Botswana in the year 2009, when a local act Game Bantsi also known as Zeus won a Channel O award for best hip hop video while in 2017 Odirile Sento aka Vee Mampeezy won a Metro FM Award under the #One Africa Award.  “For a musician to be recognised in another country’s music award indicates that Botswana artists are indeed on the right track.

Our aim is to see local artists collaborate and be recognised not only in South Africa but internationally, hence it’s imperative for us that every year we raise the standards and quality of the event. We are giving our local artists international experience but in the comfort of our country. We’d like artists to look back and see the opportunities that this celebratory event has brought them”. Said Kelly Ramputswana, the station General Manager.