27 Jul 2015

Photography is a tool that crosses cultural linguistic barriers.

It plays an important role encouraging frank, meaningful discussions, United States of America Ambassador to Botswana, Earl Miller has said.

Speaking during a recent graduation ceremony of a photography course by Viewfinder Botswana in Molepolole, he said photography was an accessible way to describe realities, communicate perspectives and raise awareness of social and global issue.

In an interview, one of the course instructors, also a Peace Corps volunteer, Bettinah Barillas said Viewfinder Botswana has implemented an initiative to take part in helping curb unemployment especially among the youth by taking them through a five day photography course.

She said they had liaised with Hope Worldwide in Molepolole which selected one of their youth groups to undergo the training.

Barillas explained that they wanted the youth to communicate challenges faced by the youth in Molepolole through photography.

The participants had selected a theme to focus on and the end result depicted drugs and alcohol abuse among others. Besides challenges faced by the youth, the photographs depicted Setswana Culture.

Barillas said she partnered with two other Peace Corps volunteers, Mike Frank and Maitham Basha-agha and the initiative was sponsored by the American Embassy to the tune of P 30 000.

The said through the grant, they have trained 60 youth in three Kweneng villages; Mmankgodi, Thamaga and Molepolole.

Out of the seventeen Molepolole-youth grandaunts, two were awarded special awards. Thabang Morwamang aged 20 received a Certificate of Merit while 26-year- old Phetlhe Molefi was awarded Best Show in the Photo Gallery. Ends