25 Feb 2021

Coordinator of the annual Francistown Arts Meeting, Keoagile Bonang has hailed the four-day visual exhibition that ended on Sunday.

Bonang, who co-founded the event with fellow photographer, Zubeid Hakim in 2019, exuded confidence in an interview, saying despite the initial sponsorship woes that prevented the exhibition from taking place in 2020, this year’s edition lived up to expectations.

“Lack of sponsorship prevented us from holding the exhibition last year, and lady luck was on our side this time around as the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development chipped in just in the nick of time,” he said.

He said this year’s exhibition focused on the visual aspects of art. He added that unlike other forms of creative arts, it did not enjoy as much exposure except during a few events such as the President’s Day competitions as well as the bi-annual constituency art competitions.

Painting, drawing, sculpture, string art, photography, animation and many other forms of art featured during the just ended meeting.

The exhibition, which was held at Phase 4 Hall, attracted 31 participants aged between 13 and 75.

One Zimbabwean and two South African artistes formed part of the group that showcased their art works.

Bonang was elated that unlike the first meeting in 2019,  representation was widespread as it attracted artists from as far as Lobatse, Kanye, Ghanzi and Maun.

To spice up the event, organisers also invited seasoned artistes such as Wilson Ngoni, Loretta Mekgwe and Segolame Kabo to share nuggets of wisdom to inspire the younger generation.

Bonang said the turn up was satisfactory and that all COVID-19 health protocols were complied with.

However, the event coordinator said there still remained a few pockets on the part of artistes, especially the packaging aspect, that needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

The exhibition highlight was the last day, which was held beneath Kenneth Nkhwa Interchange, commonly referred to as Spaghetti.

The move was intended to stir interest from art lovers to come on board, mingle with favourite artistes and buy some art works in a relaxed atmosphere. ENDS