12 Sep 2016

Thapong Visual Arts Centre was a beehive of activity on Saturday (September 10), when the creative arts industry hosted Thapong International Arts Fair sponsored by the European Union.

Neck pieces, earrings, bracelets, paintings, mirrors, clay pots, weaved baskets, marimba instruments and ditinkane were some of the products exhibited at the market day.

Mahalapye-born Zachariah Mhaladi makes musical instruments such as segaba, marimba, setinkane, cultural attire and also coaches people on how to play these musical instruments.

He said he got interested in marimba when young and attending the Roman Catholic Church.

“The church in Mahalapye used to have marimba and I got interested in knowing how to play and eventually making the instruments,” he said, adding that he got to really learn about marimba in Zimbabwe while attending school there.

Mhaladi further said he was also roped in by different private schools in Botswana to teach students how to play some of the traditional musical instruments he made.

He further said he also offered lessons to people and organisations that bought from him.

“Usually I give workshops of up to a week on marimba and again it usually depends on how fast someone can learn,” he said.

Mhaladi said  his business: Mozeco’s Music Instruments Manufacture had employed three people.

His biggest challenge was fly-by-night traders who sold the same musical instruments he made.

“You find that there are people who do not even know how to make these instruments but they pose as if they are the ones making them and shut us out,” Mhaladi said.

“Sometimes I go for close to six months without business and that means we go hungry,” he said.

On being quizzed on how much he charged for marimba, Zachariah said a set of four, which is base, soprano, tenor and baritone, went for P20 000 and a set of six was P28 000.

Onkemetse Daisy Bailelwang of Middlepits runs Rockey’s Beading Busket.

She indicated that she made earrings, neck pieces and bracelets.

Bailelwang said business was good, but was not happy that the market day was held during the middle of the month when many people did not have cash to spend.

“It is only a few people who are buying and I am confident that if it was a month end, more of my stock would be bought,” Bailelwang said.

One of young exhibitors at the market day refused to be named, saying his parents did not know that he was into visual art.

He indicated that he did art when he was stressed and that he had studied mine engineering, which was his first love.

One of his framed mirrors cost P9 500. He used burnt wooden pallets to frame it and he did not want to make many to sell.

He indicated that Home Corp approached him and asked him to make 120 framed mirrors every month for P6 500 apiece and he refused because he did not have time since he was still studying for another qualification at Boitekanelo College and that his parents did not know about it.

The young man said he did his work and his older brother sold the stuff for him.

Coordinator of Thapong Visual Arts Centre, Reginald Bakwena, said the purpose of the fair was to showcase what the creativity industry could offer and celebrate Botswana’s 50 years of independence.

“We are in a celebratory month and we want to show art lovers that talent is there in visual art,” he said.

He indicated that stalls went for P100 for Thapong members and P150 for non-members and a lot of enquiries had come in even from people outside Gaborone.

Bakwena said it was important for artists to work together to improve the state of the market so that all could benefit from their talent.

“Another reason for hosting this arts fair is to show the tremendous growth we have gone through since the beginning of this year with the work and events we have hosted,” said Bakwena.

He noted that the fair afforded customers an opportunity to interact with artists.

“We have immense talent in Botswana and people should support our artists. Not just for the sake of supporting but because it is good quality art,” he said.

Bakwena further said it was the first time Thapong hosted the fair and expect the event to be an annual thing right around this time.

“We want to grow this event and make it into an international event and host it every year and it is open for everyone,” he said.

“We also had support from Bot50, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and The No.1 Ladies Coffee Shop to mention a few,” he said. ENDS