21 Sep 2016

As Botswana celebrates its 50th independence anniversary, the Embassy of Sweden hosted a photography competition to celebrate the bilateral relations and the partnership between Sweden and Botswana.
 

The competition was won by Kabelo Mosimanewakgosi.

Speaking in an interview, Camilla Jacobson, a representative of the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria, said the winner would be given the opportunity to visit Sweden with the chance to capture Swedish skills through Batswana eyes.

She said they would host an award ceremony on September 28 at Sanitas and Garden Centre in Gaborone.

“This will be a photo art exhibition and also the release of the book Botswana-Sweden 50 years of partnership 1966-2016,” she said. “To commemorate the Botswana-Swedish collaboration since Botswana’s independence, the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria asked the citizens of Botswana to capture and interpret ‘skills by Botswana’ through the lens of their cameras,” she continued, adding that they received 348 photographs.

She said they received photographs from both professional and amateur photographers illustrating skills from various perspectives, but that there could only be one winner.

Camilla noted that ever since Botswana’s independence, Botswana and Sweden have been joined in a belief that skills development was the key for societal development, and for decades collaborations promoting skills development took place through extensive development cooperation.

“This longstanding cooperation has contributed to Botswana’s excellence in lifting society and bringing about business successes for the country. Since a few years back, the bilateral collaborations have graduated to the next level,” she said. She said it was a partnership between equals, building on mutual interests and shared responsibilities for

“When Swedish companies contribute to work opportunities and growth in Botswana, they do so with a focus on knowledge transfer and societal development. The same holds true when Botswana organises seminars in Sweden on renewable energy, clean technology and ICT,” noted Camilla.

Speaking on what the selection jury said about the winning photograph, Camilla said Kabelo’s photograph skillfully manages to combine excellent photography with a thought-provoking and symbolically strong illustration of skills by Botswana.

She said the photograph shows the silhouette of a linesman in a soccer game in the sunset and it illustrates the importance of both teamwork and individual skills development for societal excellence. “It appears to be taken in a rural setting, indicating that skills start from a grassroot level and that excellence can be achieved by everyone. It does not require fancy equipment or privilege to become a winning team and people who strive to become their very best selves, it just takes dedication and hard work,” she said.

“In terms of photographic skills, the jury has found that Mosimanewakgosi skillfully uses light, depth and silhouettes in his photograph in a way that evokes feelings both of calm and peace and of a distinctly Botswana ambiance,” she said. Ends