Maitisong Festival

Botswana’s culture shines through

What is the Maitisong Festival?

The Maitisong Festival is the largest performing arts festival in Botswana and is the most illustrative collection of national and international culture performed in this African nation. The festival is spread out over nine days in late March or early April every year, and it spans the whole city of Gaborone. Local artists display their talents in traditional Botswana dance and drama, and international performers bring shows from all over the world to the people of Gaborone.

The people of Botswana are passionate about traditional dance, so the performances are intense and polished. Local dramatic productions are less professional and performed outdoors since indoor facilities are rare in this country. Marimba bands, choirs and more international music and dance complete the cultural landscape at Maitisong time.

Where is it held?

The lively shows are held both indoors and outdoors at various venues around Gaborone. Indoor programs are ticketed events largely held in the city’s Maitisong building, and outdoor programs are held for free at four venues around the city. The festival also makes use of a moving theater out of Pretoria that takes small shows on the road to outlying villages.

What does “Maitisong” mean?

The Maitisong is traditionally the place in the home where family and friends gather in the evening for entertainment, like a hearth. It’s where stories would be shared and songs would be sung and where, over time, the culture would pass from one generation to the next.

How did it start?

The Maitisong Festival was born after the Gaborone population pulled together to build a school hall / community center that is equipped to house professional performances, workshops and meetings from within the Gaborone community and from all over the world. They called that building Maitisong. Much of the funding came from American friends of the Maru a Pula School (which first determined the need for the building). The venue was built so that the Gaborone community would have a place to share their culture with each other on a large scale. The first Maitisong Festival was held from the end of March through April of 1987 to celebrate the opening of the new building. It was so popular that they’ve held it every year since.