Son of the Soil shatters expectations

The 11th edition of the annual Son of the Soil (SOTS) this year grew in leaps and bounds. The three day event was graced by multitudes especially the main event on Saturday.

Performers did not disappoint. And Dr. Vom aka Botswana’s Black Moses, was by all means the man of the moment on Saturday. He earned himself this name from fans due to his attire, which is akin to that of the Biblical Moses.

When he took to the stage, Dr Vom promised the wild crowd that he’d live up to their expectations. “This is Son of the Soil and when I am here you have to ask for more. We are going to sing together because son of the soil is all about together. I see that there seems to be a dull mood here, so I am going to change that”, he said.

Dr. Vom got everyone on their toes and pushing their way close to the stage. His hit song ‘Tsaya Thobane’ sent people wild as he got off the stage with his dancers to join the crowd.The other group that was in its element as usual was Mafitlhakgosi. The group is a crowd puller.

As usual the event on Saturday was kick-started by choirs in the afternoon. The two choirs North and South compete against each other every year. The choirs are made up of people who have attended the event. Those who come from the North of Dibete come together and become known as North Choir and those from the South do the same.

This year the competition was won by the South Choir. SOTS, which started in 2005 was this years staged with the aim of celebrating the past 50 years of cultural independence and projecting forward into the next 50 years.

It was hosted under the theme ‘Kwa re go yang – Ke Motswana’ an affirmation of the central role that culture plays as a pillar of national development. The sub-theme for the 2016 event (“Ke Motswana”) according to organisers is a nudging to every Motswana to reflect on the past 50 years and also project forward the next 50 years with a view to contributing to the continued definition of a Botswana culture.