20 Sep 2020

Parliament has passed the National Arts Council of Botswana Bill.

The proposed National Arts Council of Botswana would serve to regulate and optimise the potential of the creative sector for economic benefit.

Furthermore, the establishment of an Arts Council was in line with the National Policy on Culture which recognised that the arts needed to be given the necessary support if they were to grow and create job opportunities for artists and other cultural practitioners. Responding to comments made by legislatures regarding the proposed law, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Tumiso Rakgare applauded President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for setting the tone and committing to support the industry.

He said the sector had the potential to create employment opportunities by maximising benefits in the value chain of the creative industry.

He said the arts contributed 5.6 per cent to the GDP of the country according to the 2019 BIDPA study.

Mr Rakgare assured Parliament that the public would be given an opportunity to participate in nominating board members and that the appointments would be made in a fair and transparent manner.

Earlier on, legislators commended the move, but voiced concerns over the composition of the board.

They said it was mostly done on preferential basis and not merit. They also questioned the rationale behind giving the minister powers to appoint some of the board members. ENDS