All set for Botswana’s first National Music Industry Summit

Organised by the Botswana-EU Policy Dialogue Facility in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture and the National Arts Council of Botswana, the summit aims to “guide Botswana’s cultural and creative industry (CCI) sector towards commercialisation, piloting with the music industry.” 

The event will aim to “identify shortfalls that restrict growth and pinpoint approaches that will enable Botswana’s CCI stakeholders to commercialise, resulting in improved revenue streams across.” It will bring together key local and international players and foster a discussions to drive the commercialisation and growth of Botswana’s CCIs while empowering artists and professionals in the industry.

NMIS will include presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, networking opportunities and live performances. Topics to be covered will include The Music Industry Value Chain, Refining Talent Through Education and Skills, Funding Avenues for Capacity Development, Barriers to Entry, Enhancing Competitiveness, and Copyright and Ownership, among others.

Among the speakers confirmed for the event are Ditto Music regional manager for Africa Wendy Verwey Bekker, Southern African Music Rights Organisation general manager for sales and licensing Karabo Senna and Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) projects manager Violet Maila, who will focus on her work around the Revenue Streams for African Musicians (RSFAM) project during a panel discussion titled How to Monetise Music Through Different Channels on 1 June.

The MIAF’s multifaceted RSFAM project was run as a pilot in 2020-21, culminating in a report that identifies the revenue streams that are viable for musicians in the South African music industry. The report, a first of its kind for the country, spans all nine provinces of South Africa and is based on information supplied by some 3 000 musicians plying their trade in different genres, communities, and geographical and social settings.

Joining Maila on the panel are Mino Music managing director Thabo Philemon, Vth Season managing director Raphael Benza, Expertise France’s Damien Bigot, and music producer Suffocate.