Mohalenyane Phakela
A BOTSWANA-based company Transport Tours and Enterprise cc representatives visited Lesotho this past weekend with the mission to nurture talent and encourage business people to sponsor artistes.
The owner of the company, Malakia Maseko, together with his agent, Pagson Ntsie, came with their number one artist Koliwe who was performing at Ultimate FM’s bash.
Chande Transport Tours and Enterprise cc has a number of artistes under its wing. Although they are now focused on gospel music, they aim to broaden their horizons by having more artistes.
“Besides Koliwe’s performance, our mission here in Lesotho is to inspire businessmen to start helping artistes in the entertainment industry,” said Maseko in an interview with the Weekender on Saturday.
“We believe here in Lesotho, just like back home in Botswana, the government and business people are not doing much to uplift local talent.
“I see it as my responsibility to give back to the community that has made me what I am today by ensuring that I make artistes’ dreams a reality which is something we would like to see Basotho businessmen do.
“I do not only sponsor musicians but I teach them to manage their finances and behave like business people, thus, killing the perspective that African artistes can’t manage their affairs.
“Our purpose is also to nurture talent and groom musicians into people who are able to use their God-given talents to meet their own needs,” Maseko added.
“With the aim to create jobs in other countries, our artistes do not travel with their bands or equipment.
“We hire the instruments together with back-up singers in the country in which they perform to suoort the local businesses,” Maseko said.
Also speaking to the Weekender was Ntsie, who said artists need to start thinking globally.
“Every artist that we work with must look beyond the local market and aim to serve the rest of the world,” Ntsie said.
“Koliwe, for instance, was not recognised in her country until we held a media launch for her in Botswana and the news spread to South Africa.”
