27 Jul 2014

Thapong Visual Arts Centre in collaboration with FNBB Foundation, on July 25, unveiled a café at the arts centre which the bank sponsored to a tune of P250 000.

The café enhanced the new look at Thapong after the centre got a facelift from Diamond Trading Company Botswana last year. The café encompasses a kitchen and eating area which is yet to be awarded through a tender for Batswana to run it.

Speaking at the unveiling FNBB trustee, Myra Sekgororoane said the foundation invested millions in enriching the people through sports, arts and communities.

She said arts is a source of income for some Batswana and hence their contribution in arts to ensure its growth. Sekgororoane stated that the café would also increase revenues and also provide employment for the youth.

“The café adds beauty and ambience to the centre as people would be able to dine here while at the same time appreciate artwork on display.”

The trustee said places of interest in Gaborone are critical adding that she believed Thapong arts centre has become one of the major tourist attraction centres in the city.Sekgororoane said friends of Thapong together with artists had done a sterling job at the centre and had persevered with time.

Thapong arts Centre coordinator, Reginald Bakwena concurred that the café would help them generate more income and sustain their programmes. 

He said they are outsourcing the café since they could not run it themselves and hence appealed to the private sector to support creative arts.Bakwena stated that as Thapong they want to contribute to the GDP of the country through arts.

The coordinator said on August 7 this year, they will be launching the whole refurbished project and called on all stakeholders to come support them. ENDS