I don’t have to go far to be reminded of America. By simply turning on the radio I can hear some of the most popular songs that are currently in the states. House music, Pop, Hip Hop are very popular in Botswana, but outside of House Music and the Top 100 I wanted to highlight four types of music that is also heard in Botswana.
Kwasa Kwasa/Rumba: Kwasa Kwasa and Rumba can be easily be identified here because the beat encourages people to dance with their hips. It has more guitars in the music. Normally when people dance at parties and even traditional dancing there is a focus on the feet. I find this to be an interesting observation because in some West African countries there is a focus on the hips, and in some East African countries there is a focus on the shoulders. Beyonce’s music video “Girls” is a great example of a mixture of various different dance styles that have originated in Africa. Kwasa Kwasa/Rumba originated in Northern Sub-Sahara Countries.
Artist: Franco
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMAhbztQ_hA
Disco: Disco has never left Botswana, and I strongly think it never will. There are many music classics in this genre. Evonne Chaka Chaka, a world renowned singer, can be heard on the radio.
Artist: Evonne Chaka Chaka
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9lwA3sfWQ0
Kwaito: Similar to Kwasa Kwasa, Kwaito music can encourages people to dance with their hip. It has more of a hip hop flavor when it comes to the sound. Check out some of Vee’s music linked below to get a taste of Kwaito.
Artist: Vee
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pw9f7-OE7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtGWHq6YydA
Traditional Music: Traditional Music is music unique to Botswana. It utilizes traditional instruments but with modern technology Traditional Music can easily be mixed and remixed to have a hip new flavor Culture Spears is a popular traditional music artist. Check out some of his video’s below:
Artist: Culture Spears
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvHj-x9e8XM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmc9gajd_n4