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Botswana: A new dawn for the creative industry in the country has been realised with the establishment of the National Arts Council of Botswana (NACB), which was launched by President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi at the Botswana National Museum last night.
When launching the NACB, President Masisi stated Batswana are a generally artistic nation and always love to showcase, as evidenced by their liveliness and jolliness at events and activities. He said they display these through their traditional attires, the language, and the rituals practised at events such as weddings and funerals.
President Masisi called on Batswana to document, preserve and protect their artistic work saying that some of the cultural activities are slowly diminishing. He implored researchers around the country to find forgotten practices and document them. Dr Masisi said the creative arts have the potential to create jobs and diversify the country’s economy if they are protected, commercialised, and exported.
President Masisi said that the Government, through the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, will continue to create an ambience environment for the creative arts to thrive, as witnessed by the establishment of the National Arts Council.
He said a dialogue on issues surrounding the youth and creative arts should be established and that the Ministry should enhance the policies and protocols to create space for the youth to soar.
The NACB is a Parastatal established by an Act of Parliament, the National Arts Council of Botswana Act No 10 of 2020, with a mandate to transform the local creative and cultural sector by nurturing creative excellence and preserving the country’s rich cultural traditions with the ultimate goal of building an inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous sector with equal opportunities for all. The NACB is an outcome of the collaboration between the Government and the local creative industry.
The launch of the NACB event also included the revealing of the council’s logo as developed by Thuto Bless Tapiso, who won the logo competition among other Batswana designers. The event was well attended by government Ministers and senior officials, the artists from across the country and included a mini exhibition of artistic works.