GABORONE - The weekends heavy pours did not deter some people from thronging the Botswana Craft to celebrate diverse African cultures.

The event was characterized by African music and delicacies from several African countries such as Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa.

Even though it started on a low note due to the poor attendance, it was the music that attracted a reasonable crowd to the stage. The cheering also intensified during the raffle draw, which saw several people walking away with Game Store shopping vouchers, merchandise such as cell phones, a home theatre system while the ultimate winner got a flat screen TV.

In an interview, the marketing communications specialist for BotswanaPost, Bedu Tlhabologang said the event started last year as a collaboration between the two agents of Western Union money transfer: Botswana Post and Boitekanelo Bereau De Change.

She said the main objective was to give back to Western Union clients, adding that they chose the African context so as to appreciate the support from people who send and receive money within Africa.

We use the cultural aspect in order to promote the African corridor and show appreciation to our customers, she said. The complimentary tickets, she said, were given out to people who made such transactions within a stipulated time. However, Ms Tlhabologang expressed disappointment at the low turn out, which she attributed to the heavy rains.

She said even though they had anticipated a much bigger audience, the response was satisfactory.

Furthermore, she noted that some of the countries who were supposed to showcase their dishes did not make it, leaving only three countries to the task.

We had only managed to invite five countries for the food section but only three managed to turn up. We could not invite as many as we could have wanted because it is really difficult to find other African nationals who can take part in such events, she explained.

In order to avoid more disappointments for next years event, Tlhabologang said they would like to celebrate African night before the rainy season, lest they are caught in the same situation. BOPA