Sereetsi & The Natives

Story

Sereetsi & the Natives presents multi-award winning contemporary folk with a touch of jazz and pop from Botswana, Africa. The act a refreshing definitive reference in the contemporisation of folk music in Botswana and a unique voice in the World Music arena. The act's strong songwriting and performance in its debut album, Four String Confessions (May 2015), presents a fearless sound that blends traditional Botswana rhythms with Western influences, all built around the signature sound and tradition of the four string folk guitar. The album yielded four Botswana Music Awards in 2016 - Best Single, Best Male Artist, Best Folk Album and Best Newcomer. The act has already shared the stage with established World Music names like Oliver Mtukudzi, Vusi Mahlasela, Caiphus Semenya, Jaziel Brothers, Letta Mbulu and McCoy Mrubata. The act headlined the Gaborone International Music and Culture Week in August 2016 with US smooth jazz star, Jonathan Butler. Sereetsi & the Natives has also collaborated on a recording and stage performance with US jazz band, Anthony Stanco and the Crucial Elements. Its growing international performance credits include Chicago, USA, Stockholm, Sweden, Planetta World Music Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, Namibia and a historic 10 date tour of South Africa (2016). Sereetsi & the Natives is the first Botswana band to tour South Africa. The 10 date tour took the act to Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Mafikeng. The act has also featured at the Mahika Mahikeng Jazz Festival (2015 & 2016), Kgalagadi Jazz Festival (2016 & 2017) and the Cultural Calabash Fest (2015) all of them in South Africa. This is in addition to a busy festival and corporate gig schedule in Botswana. Among festivals Sereetsi & the Natives has played in Botswana are the Maitisong Arts Festival, Maun International Arts Festival, The Hamptons International Jazz Festival, Mascom Live Sessions and the President’s Concert. In 2017, Sereetsi collaborated with Zambian star Mumba Yachi and South African bassist and singer AusTebza in a project called Kgalagadi Soul that has already played festivals in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Gaborone, Durban, Mafikeng and Durban. The project is set to play more dates in Africa before the end of 2017. Sereetsi is also considered a pioneer on the cultural landscape in Botswana. His 83 page guitar instructional book/CD on his native folk guitar tradition entitled The Solo Four String Guitar of Botswana is a ground breaking first. Through a grant of about P500,000 (US$50,000), Sereetsi has embarked on a folk guitar workshop tour covering 15 towns in Botswana. He taught Botswana folk music through an artist residency at Harryda School of the Arts in Gothenburg in 2016. In 2015, he presented a workshop at an international music conference organised by the International Council of Traditional Music (ICTM) at the University of Kwazulu Natal, Durban, South Africa. As part of the Kgalagadi Soul collective, he has presented on his unique four string guitar style at University of Wits School of Music and the Tshwane School of Music.