26 Jun 2014

New entries have been signing up for the annual President’s Day competitions since they started a few years ago.

Both professional and amateur artists have been signing up in different categories of the competitions, a development that has been hailed as a sign of growth.

The competitions also unearthed talent from all over the country and many of them have found a means of living and providing for their families with their talent.

The competitions have also accorded professional artists a chance to improve their craft and raise the standard of arts and culture in the country.

Because of the growth of the President’s Day competitions, nowadays amateur artists find themselves competing with professionals while teachers and students can share the stage.

In an interview, an art teacher at Ghanzi Senior Secondary School, who went through to the finals in the photography category after winning the regional competitions, applauded government for the competitions saying they created more awareness about arts and culture in the country.

“I entered the competitions because I wanted to up the standard a bit and generate interest from my students. It worked and now many more students also want to compete,” said Thari Mokgatlhane.

He said at a time when he was a judge in the competitions, he realised that the calibre was a bit low as competitors submitted simple and sub-standard works, and he decided to enter as a contestants so that he can up the standard.

“I believe the standard can only be raised if more professionals are allowed to enter these competitions. I would also like to see more teachers competing and taking the arts beyond the classroom,” he said.

However, Mokgatlhane warned that the President’s Day competitions should not be about money and prizes, but about improving arts and culture in Botswana and creating interest and awareness among the youth. His art works are photographs of Thamalakane River which he finished on canvas print using photo paper.

He revealed that he used photo paper to prove that one can work with various media to produce quality art pieces. Mokgatlhane, who exhibited solo at Artists in Botswana, said a lot still needs to be done to improve the quality of arts in the country and also educate Batswana about arts and culture.

“Society needs to change its mindset about local art especially when it comes to purchasing. Batswana should start buying local art to empower artists,” he said. He believes that the arts have grown tremendously since the 1990’s and are now recognised and supported by stakeholders including government. He commended government for increasing awareness about arts and culture, saying nowadays even the private sector has come on board.

With all these developments, Mokgatlhane is confident that the arts and culture industry will experience growth and help alleviate poverty. “There are a lot of talented artists in rural areas who need to be encouraged and empowered by government and the private sector,” he said.

Mokgatlhane will be competing in the finals of the President’s Day competitions which will be held in Gaborone in July. He believes his entry in the competitions will inspire his students to produce top calibre arts and crafts. Ends