Nthatuoa Koeshe
ORGANISERS of the third edition of the Africa Picnic and Camping (APICA) festival have this year assembled a star-studded line up for the event set for Ramabanta Trading Post from 6 to 8 March 2020.
Powered by Econet Telecom Lesotho, the event will have performers like South Africans Samthing Soweto and Trompies who will perform alongside Lesotho’s Tshepo Tshola, Maleh, Megahertz, DJ Tseko, Dastarr, Nine24, DJ Bath Junior, Mekonko, Tedoz, Snat and DonnyB.
One of the organisers Montoeli ‘Moleli, told the Weekender that this year the festival would be more adventurous than the previous editions.
He said they have lined up fun and recreational activities among them horse riding, fun walks, games and a picnic.
“This year we are bringing a lot more adventure with outdoor camping for accommodation,” ‘Moleli said.
‘Moleli said the picnic aims to promote adventurous activities and family bonding.
“APICA is not a musical festival but an initiative aimed at promoting camping and bonding with nature, whereas music only serves as a catalyst.”
They also aim to promote tourism as the festival is bound to reach out to the rest of the continent.
“We want to expose the beauty of Africa by allowing people to get in touch with nature as we host editions in different parts of Africa like South Africa, Botswana and eSwatini. We also hope to expand beyond the said countries.
“Taking it to the rest of the continent will also work in our favour as it will invite more people to visit Lesotho and thus boosting our tourism.
“Since it originates in Lesotho, we will have multiple editions at different tourism attractions around the country. We have learnt that Basotho are not keen to explore their own country, so the idea is to promote domestic tourism since all editions will be held in areas that allow us to have picnics.”
APICA has so far been held at two locations namely Molimo Nthuse Lodge and Khotsong Lodge. The event has hosted artistes and groups like Mango Groove, Christos, Rocco from France and Lesotho’s Apollo Ntabanyane.
Revelers can get a day pass, a weekend pass or a camping ticket for the event. They can also bring own tents or rent them for their stay.
‘Moleli said the attendees can purchase their tickets through Ecocash and can redeem them at Econet Shops at Pioneer, LNDC and Roma.
Econet public relations officer Puleng Litabe said her company was pleased to partner with the organisers.
She said prior to partnering with the event, they were looking for a vibrant event which caters for their customers and one they can associate with.
“APICA caters for people of all ages and those are our clients and being part of something as exciting and fun such as this is what Econet has always wanted,” Litabe said.
As the main sponsor of the event, Econet is spending M400 000 to ensure its success.
Litabe said they were impressed they were impressed with the numbers that attended the event last year.
