19 Aug 2014

Throughout the years, many Batswana have expressed the pleasure they derive from reading Mabijo’s cartoons, former president, Sir Ketumile Masire has said.

Speaking at the 25^th anniversary of Mabijo’s cartoons, the former statesman said this was because Mabijo humorously addressed social, health, youth related and national issues of interest.

“Through his brand, Mabijo has contributed in a direct way to some of the pillars of the national vision and has over the years gained popularity across generations,” he said.

Sir Ketumile said the fact that Mabijo is a local cartoon has made him a source of pride among Batswana, particularly for his culturally relevant sense of humor.

“Today we celebrate Mabijo, the icon that was born 25 years ago and has since changed the cartoon landscape in Botswana,” he said.

He further said the cartoon helped people relax and become more receptive to information which might be controversial or which would normally be considered a taboo or not suitable for public discussion.

The former president indicated that Batswana have witnessed quite a number of developments regarding Mabijo over the years.

“In 2010, the Mabijo on the Move booklet was produced and in 2011 an animation of Mabijo was launched. The booklet is a compilation of cartoons that people can enjoy in the comfort of their homes or at work,” he said.

“I have also been informed that the team at Mabijo Productions is currently working on the production of Mabijo animation programmes for television,” he said.

Sir Ketumile said it was a commendable initiative moreso that Batswana children depend too much on watching cartoons from other countries. He further commended the creator of Mabijo, Mr Tebogo Motswetla on his vision, focus and passion for the creative arts.

“This has earned him respect for his cartoons both nationally and internationally and I have been informed that Mabijo has been published on local newspapers such as DailyNews, Mmegi and Kutlwano magazine since 1989,” said Sir Ketumile.
“Mr Motswetla’s perseverance in drawing Mabijo cartoons over the years should serve as motivation and inspiration to the youth in this country,” he said, adding that there is a lot of talent in the arts.

Mr Motswetla has been identified as one of the outstanding African cartoonist by Michigan State University and they have also invited him to their cartoon exhibition to be held in November 2014.

For his part, the creator of Mabijo, Tebogo Motswetla said the origins of Mabijo started in 1989 after completing his Form 5. “While I was a student I had a vision and my vision was to see myself as a renowned artist,” he said.

He said the journey that he took has not always been smooth and he faced challenges along the way, but he has always kept God close to him. Motswetla said as Mabijo team, they are making a contribution to the development of Botswana. 

“We have responded to government’s appeal of adopting a school and at Mabijo Productions we have adopted Newlook Primary School in Lobatse,” he said.
He further said he plans to hold an art exhibition at the National museum in October as part of celebrating Mabijo’s silver jubilee.

Regarding his invite by Michigan State University, Mr Motswetla appealed to the corporate world for assistance to make the trip a success.

Speaking on some Facebook pages that are masquerading as Mabijo, Mr Motswetla distanced himself from those and appealed for people to refrain from doing that.
“Of late there has been fake pages of Mabijo on Facebook and people operating those pages use vulgar language to try an attract people. 

I would like to distance the original Mabijo from such and we are taking the necessary steps to protect the image of our brand,” he said.

The celebration of Mabijo also saw the unveiling of the Mabijo mascot and the launch of various merchandise for kids and adults. ENDS