01 Sep 2016

Batswana continue to make strides in international competition. Recently, poet, Batshidi Moeti, brought home an award from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia where she represented Botswana at the Piton International Film Festival.

Moeti emerged a champion in a competition that attracted poets from different countries. In an interview, Moeti could not hide her joy saying “I assured Batswana that I will do all in my power to raise our flag high and indeed I made it”.

She said the award, dubbed Team Botswana, meant a lot to her as she had been dreaming to penetrate the international market through her poetry, noting that it was an indication that her artistic work was recognised.

She explained that although the festival was attended by poetry gurus from across the world, she was not intimidated as she took the audience by storm, adding that she was even invited to the podium to further entertain the audience during the award ceremony.

The Maun-based youthful poet  was invited by the Umoja Communication Company to take part in the festival. Moeti said she dedicated the award to all those who made her debut appearance at the festival a success.

She also forwarded a special tribute to the government especially the ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MYSC) for its commitment in ensuring that youth talents are nurtured and developed through various initiatives in place.

The Umoja Communication Company also acknowledged efforts made by Minister Thapelo Olopeng in facilitating youth empowerment by creating an enabling environment for youth to realise their potential for a better quality of life.

The company’s management honoured the minister with an award as a token of appreciation. All the companies and individuals who extended a helping hand towards Moeti’s trip were given certificates of appreciation for their support.

Moeti said the biggest highlight in St. Lucia was when she was appointed to facilitate at a poetry workshop together with the United States poet, author and actress, Rosemarie Wilson and being interviewed by the media practitioners including the local television after the seminar.

“I realised that people take poetry seriously and believed that it is a career that could take someone to higher level. During the interview I had an opportunity to sell my country and people were so excited and willing to visit and appreciate the beauty of the Okavango delta,” she added.

However, during her stay at St Lucia, Moeti was part of a showcase concert and poetry dubbed “Praising Positive Energy” (PPE) which aimed to spotlight artists that were using their talents to earn a living and make the global community a better place.

She said the trip was worth going as she achieved a lot within a short period of time. While in St. Lucia she attended several seminars on poetry, film making, boat camps and a red carpet night where they were watching films produced by different artist.

Moeti said during the boat camp, they were equipped with basics on film production, writing scripts and acting. The vibrant young woman noted that she managed to shoot a short video of her poem in Setswana.

Another exciting seminar she liked most was the global healing session hosted by Dr Kathleen Wales where women are given a platform to share their experiences, challenges faced and come up with lasting solutions.

She described the programme as healing, touching, soothing especially to those who have been abused at an early age. She said most women learnt that they were not alone and it was better to speak out rather than living with trauma and depression.

She wished the programme could be extended to Botswana hoping that incidents of suicides, passion killing would be arrested. ENDS