21 Mar 2016

The  Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Serowe North, Kgotla Autlwetse said music had the ability to transform societies.  Autlwetse was officiating at the 3^rd Botswana Choral Music Association (BOCMA) conference.

Autlwetse said music was a unique talent that when effected with honesty and passion could have a positive effect on the society. He said the era in which today’s societies lived in was characterised by grief and as a result needed music to bring joy.  Autlwetse said therefore it was imperative that courageous men and women took singing as an art to an elevated level.

 The level of music he said should be able to lighten up the existence of mankind as well as their souls.

The assistant minister maintained that the BOCMA conference was important noting that it was time for the association to make introspections. 

He added that it was also a time to make important decisions for the future of choral music.

 Autlwetse said the conference was a time to revive structures within the association that were acquainted to the activities of the association.

 He stated that dissemination of information and owning up to the association brand was an indication of the type of leadership the association had.

Autlwetse encouraged members of the association to embrace the presidential initiative in promoting arts in Botswana.

He encouraged them to organise themselves and register their affiliates through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture. 

The assistant minister urged members to engage in competitions maintaining that it was where talent could be identified, developed and managed.

Meanwhile the Serowe Sub-district coordinator in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, Odiretsemang Molao, said his ministry was responsible for management and implementation of arts. 

He said they were responsible for the promotion of artistic excellence. 

Molao said they had realised that the youth had idle minds and as a result inclined to drugs and substance abuse. His ministry, he said intended to take youth away from the streets.

 Molao said for a long time, the economy of Botswana had been reliant on minerals. 

He said the arts could be a way of diversifying the economy. 

He therefore encouraged the choral groups to take opportunity and utilise the arts and culture grants from his ministry. 

The grants, he said could be used to record albums, invite international groups for benchmarking or for any other purpose deemed beneficial to the group. ENDS