Avant-garde artist, John Cocteau, once declared: “Art is science made clear.” Stripped of the complications of insinuated separatism, creativity offers pathways toward discovery that have been proven – by scientists – to be unparalleled by any other pursuit. Gaborone is set to spark alive as the Maitisong Festival, the country’s premier arts and culture event, electrifies audiences from October 3rd to October 12th. In 2025, the multi-genre performing arts affair founded by the incomparable David Slater continues its tradition of serving a diverse selection of local and international productions for consumers of all ages and backgrounds.
Speaking to Jessica Lejowa, the festival director, the four pillars driving the strategy being implemented this year are simple, yet with substantial scope for generating positive ripples. Anchored in equity, accessibility, home, and validation, there are elements of introspection and innovation that arise in Lejowa’s detailing of what the 2025 edition aims to achieve for its various stakeholders. It is with these guides that the modest team comprising Festival Coordinator, Kgopiso Tibe; Nonofo Moselekatsi, Tshepang Mantu and Thobo Leene as technicians, and Kago Rannoba and Othata Mokgwathi running the marketing, design and public relations, hope to execute their mandate as a celebration of the nearly 40-year-old festival.
The programme’s selection features a healthy cross-generational representation. Award-winners KX Legit, Punah Gabasiane-Molale and Kearoma Rantao will each hold court with their musical stylings; Mogwana Dance Troupe and Moratiwa Molema’s New Moon join international features, Janeth Mulapha, Jenni-Lee Crewe and Alan Parker on the dance programme; and a theatre production particularly for young audiences sits as one of the jewels in the proverbial crown. Beyond this year being yet another instalment, the dedication to make its guiding pillars come to life is enough to encourage members of the public to experience it for themselves.
Regarding equity, this consideration is for artists, venues, and audiences to feel that they’ve gotten their time and money’s worth. While combating exploitation – that is often rife within the creative sector, where people have irregular income – Lejowa is also committed to offering audiences a fair selection of production themes and forms. Additionally, there is direct advocacy for venues to leverage the festival’s reputation toward their own profit and marketability in the aftermath. The shared responsibility of private and public entities to invest in the sector is something that continues to be a challenge, but not without due effort towards effecting change.
Accessibility at the level of accommodating different demographics of Botswana’s society in this year’s programme is an inspiring pursuit. With art often considered the preserve of those with money – more so when it is more thought-provoking than designed for recreational relief – the festival returns with a variety of free events to lower that barrier while revitalizing the historic cultural affair. Where there is a ticket to be bought, the range sits as P 30 – P 250. While Maitisong Theatre remains the heart of the festival, one of the oldest public spaces in Gaborone, Main Mall, will play host to productions alongside the University of Botswana Visual and Performing Arts, Maru-a-Pula School and Botswanacraft.
“We want to reposition Maitisong as a home of the arts in general – regardless of one’s socio-economic standing,” says Lejowa, continuing, “we want to call people back to the fireside to share stories and experience art together”.
The legacy of the festival is that of a platform offering artists at various career stages the opportunity to share their crafts and feel validated. Similarly, where audiences may be stuck in their ways or daunted by the uncertainty of what they should watch, the festival seeks to provide space for them to question, explore, critique, and build community – validated in that their voices matter at the singular and collective level. On the matter of the festival’s history, it is noteworthy that with Lejowa’s appointment, this marks the first time the festival has ever had a black, Motswana woman serve in the capacity of Festival Director. As such, in taking the baton to run her portion of the race, the Maru-a-Pula alumnus bears both the weight of stakeholders’ expectations and her very own ambitions to see a platform she grew up partaking in shine in its heritage.
From the elemental to quantum levels of science, there is a consistent pursuit of newness, truth and growth. The same can be said of art in its many forms – whether it is crafted to teach, provoke, or energise. The Maitisong Festival stands as a beacon of possibility and community-building in the story of Botswana, and the 2025 edition promises to welcome audiences with a warm artistic embrace. The duty now sits with the public to honour the invitation to gain some clarity through this homecoming.
