02 May 2018

Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, France Van der Westhuizen has said Botswana has a vibrant youth who have the zeal to take jazz music to another level.

Giving a key note address at an event organised by Botswana Society for Jazz Education (BOSJE) to celebrate the international jazz day recently, the assistant minister noted that the organisation had since its inception registered 60 members the majority of which are the youth and 24 of them have registered to become members of the BOSJE band.

He said government, through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development had been tasked with the responsibility of management and implementation of programmes related to youth development and empowerment, sport and recreation, library and information services, management of public sector records, promotion of arts and culture as well as preservation national heritage.

He said the ministry was also tasked with the aspect of culture development in which government would like to use performing arts to economically empower young people.

He said President Mokgweetsi Masisi, in his inaugural speech, had noted that the country was faced with a myriad of challenges among them being unemployment, especially among the youth, who constitute 60 per cent of the population.   

“This aspect of culture has a great potential to create sustainable jobs for young people and immensely grow the economy,” he said, adding that music programmes such as the jazz celebration could assist with empowering young people with the requisite skills that they could use to launch their music careers and create employment for others.

He observed that International Jazz Day was a global event celebrated on April 30 each year and that it was a culmination of jazz appreciation month, which drew public attention to jazz and its extraordinary heritage.

The minister also noted that the first international jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people through promoting dialogue among cultures, embracing diversity, and deepening respect for human rights.  

Director at Kingdom Arts Academy, Akhutleng Mogami said UNESCO declared April 30, 2011 International Jazz Day to recognise Jazz as a means of uniting people and bringing peace and the host city this year is in Russia.

She said UNESCO as an organ of United Nations wanted to use music to bring nations together, noting that they also aspired that five days before the celebration workshops be held to impart education to the community about jazz.

Mogami, who is also chairperson for BOSJE, noted that they had put together workshops and clinics for the youth on Friday and Saturday featured talks from Companies Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA), UNESCO and music lessons from established musicians.

She said they had diligently worked  to  bring together the most knowledgeable and passionate, international and local jazz musicians to participate in the International Jazz Day concert.

They have also organised two music workshops that were open to the general public that included a talk from CIPA on artist rights, history of jazz seminars and instrument lesson.

By partnering with BOSJE and agreeing to sponsor the event, their organisation benefited in a number of ways such as engaging in and being recognised for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Additionally, BOSJE contributes towards youth empowerment through equipping them with practical skills, and aiding them in cultivating their music careers, she said.

They also benefitted in expanding Brand Awareness and having the company brand be associated with globally recognised institutions, she added. ENDS