18 Feb 2021

The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism is in the process of developing a digital museum project, which will provide an opportunity for communities to undertake virtual exhibitions and access the international market.

Answering a question in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister Philda Kereng said as part of the digital museum project, his ministry was in the process of developing a programme that would feature virtual exhibitions and online access to heritage collections across the country.

In terms of creating a platform for artist in the creative industry, she said, they were collaborating with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Development to incorporate creative industry as part of tourism.

She said her ministry in collaboration with various stakeholders was actively promoting domestic tourism in order to resuscitate and grow the industry.

According to the minister, the arts and cultural activities can play an important role in the promotion and growth of Botswana’s tourism industry.

Ms Kereng noted that with the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, digital communication was a necessity in selling and promoting cultural tourism including arts, crafts and the creative industry. 

“This is in line with the tourism policy, which advocates for diversification of tourism both in terms of product and geographical spread,” she said.

Furthermore, she pointed out that government had no immediate plans to provide platform for artists in the Jwaneng-Mabutsane area to venture into digital arts and cultural tourism.

“We however collaborate with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture development in the area of cultural tourism, and will continue to explore opportunities for local artists,” she said.

Minister Kereng further highlighted that the Jwaneng Mabutsane Constituency had at least four heritage and tourism sites.

She cited the Uki Hill Iron Age Site near Tsonyane village, whose pottery traditions and Stone Wall patterns are of the 1800s Moloko/Tswana traditions. 

Others are the Khakhea Pan in Khakhea, the Sekoma pan in Sekoma and the Jwana Park at Jwaneng Mine in Jwaneng.

Parliament also heard that the ministry had employed at least two custodians at the Uki Stone Walled Site (Tsonyane) on contract basis.

The Jwana Park is owned, managed and staffed by the Jwaneng Mine while the Sekoma and Khakhea pans are not under any staffing as they are open community landscapes currently recognised mostly for their geomorphological and aesthetic landscapes.

Through the Department of Museums and Monuments, the ministry is currently working with the community of Tsonyane to develop a community Trust, which will be assisted to develop tourism activities to utilise the Uki Hill Iron Age site.

In addition, she said, the Khakhea and Sekoma pans had not yet been utilised by the communities around them. 

However, due to their proximity to the Trans Kgalagadi highway, those areas have the potential to be utilised and create economic opportunities for the community, she added. Ms Kereng said tourism facilities within the Jwaneng Mabutsane constituency could utilise the Jwana Park in Jwaneng to take their visitors as a way of diversifying products in the area.

“There are also some areas within the Mabutsane-Jwaneng constituency that have tourism potential and it’s upon us as leaders to facilitate and encourage our communities to exploit these resources,” she said.

The ministry, she said, would continue to support and facilitate communities across the country including Mabutsane-Jwaneng constituency to tap into opportunities found within their area.

The Jwaneng-Mabutsane Member of Parliament, Mr Mephato Reatile had asked if the ministry considered that arts and culture could be used as a form of tourism for the Jwaneng-Mabutsane constituency through virtual means given the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also asked if the ministry would provide a platform for artists in the Jwaneng-Mabutsane area to venture into digital arts and culture tourism.

Mr Reatile further wanted the minister to list the tourist areas and monuments in the Jwaneng-Mabutsane constituency and to state the number of people employed in those facilities, how they were being maintained and whether there had been a thorough assessment of the area. Ends