04 Feb 2015

The Octagon Gallery at the National Museum will be a place of hilarity and education in the next two weeks through a cartoon exhibition. 

Visual art exhibitions are usually in the form of ceramic, drawing, painting, photography and crafts among others, but February 3 marked the launch of the first cartoon exhibition. This unique exhibition, titled The Eyes Have It, features hilarious art works by four local cartoonists being Simon Seisa, Tebogo Motswetla, Mokgogi Samson and Oteng Kgari.

Through the cartoons, artists express themselves in a humorous manner by depicting the day to day issues ranging from political, social, cultural and religious among others. As it was a launch of something specifically designed for amusement, art enthusiasts descended the Octagon Gallery in masses to witness an exhibition by local cartoonists.

Speaking at the launch, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of State President, Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo said cartoonists were a medium of communication used all over the world, especially in democratic states where there was freedom of speech and freedom of expression like in Botswana. He said cartooning was an art of expression that should be taken serious, and that it was an essential part of journalistic practice.

“It complements the work of an ordinary journalist by presenting some complex issues in a simplified and amusing way that is easy to understand. Just like a reporter, a cartoonist also has a way of reporting what he/she sees happening in the society he is living in,” said Kaboeamodimo.

Further, Kaboeamodimo said that there were political cartoons that involved the use of caricatures to portray certain people who were known to the society, noting that such works were not meant to disrespect anybody but to convey a message that was subject to interpretation by the reader.

He also said cartooning was a powerful media and remained an important component of everyday life and political critique, while the impact of its message lasted longer.Meanwhile, one of the exhibitors, Tebogo Motswetla of the Mabijo fame, sited a small market for local cartoonist as a challenge.

He said upcoming cartoonists faced this challenge and end up being discouraged to pursue their god given talents. Motswetla, however said there was less criticism from their consumers, hence something that kept local cartoonists going. ENDS