19 Jun 2016

Botswana is endowed with great talent in the arts industry, according to policy specialist; arts and culture, in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture.

Speaking during  a local content broadcasting workshop organised by Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) recently, Dineo Phuti, said if the talent was packaged properly, it could go a long way in promoting development of the creative industry.

“As a country, we need to adopt strategies that will ensure development and protection of our work,” he said, adding that the country needed to ensure an effective and responsive copyright and neighbouring rights system as well as relevant collection agencies hence there is COSBOTS.

She said the creative industry also needed to ensure that it was protected from the effects of influx of foreign cultural products as this would compete for broadcasting space with other products.

Phuti said the workshop had come at a critical time as the ministry planned to increase the availability of information and entertainment to Batswana.

She indicated that the main objectives of the workshop is to find a way of asserting Botswana's cultural values, publicise and popularise the country's cultural products and services both nationally and internationally through vigorous and varied programmes of artistic performance and marketing.

“We would also be preserving and protecting our cultural heritage by caring for and expanding artistic and intellectual property as well as create a conducive environment for cultural preservation and participation by all in the form of programmes and services that promote and nurture local content,” she said.

She said the workshop had engaged experts, broadcasters and artists in order to discuss and exchange views on how best to implement instruments and strategies that promote local content to ensure availability and sustainability from producers to user agencies such as radio and television.

“Thus local content strategies should be implemented progressively so as to give broadcasters time to bring themselves to compliance with set rules for their quotas. They should also be reviewed periodically and allow flexibility for amendments,” said Phuti.

Phuti  said  cultural preservation and development as promoted through broadcasting services should  entail a whole process of the present and contemporary creativity and the ultimate purposes and values suggested by the future.

She said valuable heritage must be nurtured and developed in order to build a strong sense of national identity, unity and pride.

Phuti said she hopes the deliberations will set an agenda for follow up discussions which will set a platform that will allow penetration of our local products in the international arena.

“I also wish to encourage the arts sector to continue working hard and harnessing their God given talent to entertain Batswana,” she concluded.

For his part, deputy chief executive officer (CEO) of BOCRA, Tshoganetso Kepaletswe, said he was happy with the attendance of stakeholders as this showed commitment to move forward. He urged stakeholders to develop other local content besides music only. 

Kepaletswe further said with Botswana turning 50 years of Independence, it is an opportune time to stimulate local content production.

“We need to meet the local content quota and also penetrated the outside market,” he said.

Phaphani Masalila, a presenter at Gabz Fm, who was one of the panellists, said their radio station is trying to play local content but then again people need to understand that Gabz Fm is an urban adult contemporary radio station.

“As much as we want to play local music, we also have to cater for our listeners and what they like. We again struggle with most local music because it is not the quality that we adhere to,” he said, adding that he feels that some Botswana artists make music just for the sake of making music.

He said a private radio station also has to look at its profitability because it has financial obligations just like any other commercial entity. 

Masalila urged local content producers not to rush their productions but rather strive for quality and for their productions to transcend borders. ENDS