Volume 50 Issue 10 - October 2012 : Business

 

It is a sunny and windy Saturday afternoon, and the carnival side of the annual Consumer Fair is packed with children of all ages - from toddlers to teenagers. For teenagers, it is certainly time for a fashion extravaganza. They are dressed to the nines; colour blocking, fancy accessories, and colourful hair bands are the order of the day. 

The queue for the most risky fun-fair rides swells, and it seems the more the riders have adrenaline rush the more enjoyable the rides become. For the younger ones, fancy toys, face paintings, candy floss, and somewhat age-appropriate rides suffice, except for one or two who are heroic enough to take on the more adventurous rides.

The annual consumer fair, which showcases and links businesses within and outside Botswana, is an all- inclusive and interactive forum for both exhibitors and their clients. Although the younger generation is attracted too, their interest lies not with the exhibitions; rather, it lies in meeting up friends.  For instance, teenagers Leungo Sentsho, Maemo Koitsiwe, and Shirley Kwapa, all aged 16, admit that the consumer fair offers them  opportunity to meet friends and enjoy the music and other performances that are on offer.

“We enjoy the dance and do a bit of kids’ staff like swinging and riding,” says Leungo in an interview with Kutlwano.  However, for her acrophobic (fear of heights) friend, these sentiments are not mutual. “I enjoy everything else except the fun-fair rides,” she declares. Year after year these girls say they have used the consumer fair to hook-up and share the latest trends. They are unhappy though,  that a lot has changed over the years. For example, the girls say there is a conspicuous absence of the all-time favourite Botswana Defence Force (BDF) stall, which included live music, military wares, and snake displays.

From as far as they can remember the show was best known and popularized by the military boys with their typical green tents, the display of military helicopters, and different breeds of snakes. What has remained constant though is the food, the girls say, adding that the food is mostly packaged in fun-fair style consisting of hot dogs, ice cream, and candy floss or lefofa, as young people would like to refer to it.

A typical show day for the girls starts at 10 am with a minimum budget of P300 each. This money takes care of their entry, food, transport, and entertainment for the day. The best day to meet friends and have fun is Saturday, just before the fair wraps up on Sunday. For four-year-old Theo Selwana, the show for him is about buying toy guns, some Ben 10 merchandise and Bondiblu sun glasses. This shy lad also enjoys kiddies’ swings and other fun rides. A very confident Kahlia Ditlhokwa, who is a standard four student at St Mary’s, enjoys a wide array of activities such as face paintings, swings and various rides. “I prefer riding the big wheel. I also bought myself a crown, some Disney accessories, a bag, candy floss, and lots of candy,” he says pointing excitedly to some of the accessories she is referring to.

She has made sure that she marks the annual event on her calendar so she remembers. She says on the day she gets in as early as 9am with a guardian, who happens to be her uncle this time around. Other than seeing the RB2 stall for the first time this year, she says nothing else has changed about the show. On the other hand, the daring Kutlo Ratau, from Raserura ward in Mochudi, fought her way to securing a seat on the hurly-gully otherwise known as the big wheel, notwithstanding the fact that it often scares a lot of kids her age. Rides and swings complete the beauty of the show for her.  

While this entire craze and fun is going on in the carnival area which is packed with children and adults of varying ages, inside the Ditshupo Hall, hopeful exhibitors are showcasing their products and services. Even though there is a sizeable number of onlookers and customers, the vibe isn’t as intense and as electrifying as it is outside. The swings and rides, it seems attract far more interest than the actual business of the day.

And while it is not all fun and games at the fair, it seems to the younger generation that that is what it comes down to. 

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