23 Oct 2013

The Department of Arts and Culture is impressed with the growth in the numbers of artists performing or showcasing their crafts in Kweneng District, according to Kagiso Makoba.

In an interview, Makoba, who is the senior culture officer in charge of the Molepolole Administrative Authority and Mogoditshane sub-districts, said they had put in place programmes in an endeavour to deliver on their mandate of preserving culture and promoting artistic excellence.

These programmes, he said, were yielding results. On the cultural front, they had the National Culture Day that was celebrated every year on a rotational basis around the country’s regions. It was in such events that the hosts would showcase their culture.

But this did not preclude districts from having their own unique cultural celebrations. He gave an example of the Dithubaruba festival in Molepolole and another held by Bakgatla ba ga Mmanaana in Thamaga. He said as a department, they helped with funds to organise such gatherings.

He said the main aim of such festival was to revive culture which seemed to be taking a nose-dive and was likely to disappear. They liaised with sister organisations that plaedy a role in preserving and promoting cultural activities such as the Botswana Tourism Organisation, Department of Museum and National Monuments and the Department of Broadcasting Services.

The major draw card in their calendar was the President’s Day Cultural Celebrations which is a culmination of work that begins in January until the last day of July each year when top performers are recognised for their artistic efforts.

But that was not the only competition they organised for the performing and visual arts. The Kweneng region organised the Constituency Arts Competition that begins at the wards. The top three performers in the categories of Choirs, Traditional Setswana Dance, Poetry, Traditional instruments and Drama moved on to the finals at the constituency level. 

He noted that Kweneng as a region had experienced an increase in the numbers of artistes registering with them. He attributed the growth in the number of artistes to these well organised competitions.

He noted that because these were yearly events, groups and individuals alike were keeping their skills and knowledge alive by practising in anticipation of the big day. He noted that they could be more talent out there, especially in cattle posts where such cultural practitioners did not have the means to deliver their work to the market and to the greater public where they can be encouraged to enter these competitions.

They thus, continued to appeal to communities who might know people with such skills to help them get in contact with them so that the department could help[ promote their work.

He said they also supported artists such as writers, singers and audio-visual production professionals through the Arts and Culture Grant.   He mentioned that anyone who submitted their work and met the set criteria would be assisted in getting their work published or produced.

He said in Kweneng, they had so far helped a writer publish a poetry book. Overall they were satisfied with the impact they were making in delivering their mandate and in also improving the artists and other cultural practitioners. ENDS