06 Jan 2016

An increased number of women participants in last year’s Thapong Artist of the Year Award (TAYA) competition have been hailed as a step in the right direction regarding the involvement of women in the creative arts industry.

Even though the number of participants was a little over 10, it was evident that women are finally showing an interest in showcasing their talents in visual arts.

Over the years, there have been quite a small number of women in visual arts in Botswana, as most preferred poetry, dance and fashion designing despite the fact that there are a lot of women who are talented in other aspects of visual art.

One such lady is 33 year old Mamello Sago of Ramotswa; a keen photographer who seems to be heading in the right direction as far as art is concerned.

“I am not only a photographer, I also enjoy the spoken word,” said the young lady, adding that art for her is more of therapy that helps her stay in tune with the real world.

Talking about how she got introduced to visual art and poetry, Mamello said she developed an interest in photography during her first year (2001) at a technikon in South Africa as it was an introductory subject on her first year.

“Unfortunately, back then I could not invest in my own camera because my mother was sponsoring me and could not also afford such. But I had Batswana friends who were also my schoolmates and they helped me complete my practical assignments and exams with the cameras,” she said.

She said it was only in early 2009 that she finally managed to get herself a camera, a Sony A200, which she used to experiment on different styles and types of photography.

“It was then that I realised that I could make a living from taking photographs,” said Mamello, adding that it was 2009 that she got her first pay cheque.

“I got P500 for my troubles as I did not know how much to charge since I was an amateur, but I felt good to get paid to do what I love,” she said with a chuckle.

On her love for poetry, Mamello said she developed interest in it while schooling in South Africa doing her Form 3 (1998) and was introduced to it by her teacher.

“We were asked to write a poem about a mother who had dumped her baby at a dumping site and the baby was devoured by dogs,” she said, indicating that her teacher was so impressed with her writing skills that she started mentoring her.

She further said she stopped writing the following year only to resume again in 2007 when she was going through some very trying times in her life.

“I experienced so much turbulence in my life, which led me back to writing as a way of dealing with my sorrow, depression and unhappiness. I could write what I felt at the core of my soul without being judged for it and it helped me get control of a lot of things I was going through,” she said.

“It was the paper, the ink and thoughts that were laid bare to illustrate the inner heartfelt things in my life,” she chipped in.

Speaking on women in visual arts in Botswana, Mamello said not enough is being done to encourage women who have the talent in visual arts to come out and share their talent with the world.

“We have to raise and feed families, hence we find it very challenging to even do visual art full time,” she said.

She said obviously there is a gap that needs to be filled and this could be done by catering to the needs of women.

“Women need to undergo training and mentoring, but workshops take place during weekdays, which puts most of us at a disadvantage. We need to be shown the ropes on what it means to be an artist,” said Mamello.

She further said women need collaborative projects with more established artists as this would breed interaction and sharing of creative ideas.

“My greatest challenge is that I have an 8am to 5pm job and most of the time I am doing that while my art suffers,” she said.

She noted that the lack of technical equipment and money for transport also affects her art.

Being quizzed on some of the initiatives introduced by President Lt General Seretse Khama Ian Khama such as the President’s Day celebrations, Mamello said it is a good initiative.

“I entered the competition two year ago, but failed to make it to the second round in the poetry category. I also missed some competitions because I was not aware of them and also did not have transport money or the fees that sometimes one has to pay.

“Batswana need to start appreciating art and being an art loving nation and education on art appreciation needs to be intensified nationwide,” said Mamello.

 

“It is very disappointing that most of the time our artists have to make it overseas first and only then do we appreciate them locally. Botswana needs to benchmark with other countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, USA and Europe, which are heavily invested in their own artists and have a conducive artistic environment,” she said. Ends