11 Mar 2014

Artists must have some knowledge of copyright law as it applies to their trade, says head of marketing and communications at Botswana Building Society (BBS), Sipho Showa.

Speaking at a fine art exhibition at Thapong Visual Arts Centre, Showa said the copyright and neighbouring act provided creative people with the ability to control the reproduction of their work and to reap economic rewards from their creativity.

The act also allowed for punitive measures against individuals who obtained more than inspiration from the work of others, he said at the exhibition hosted by Wilson Ngoni and Rebecca de Figueiredo.

“The law does not require you to use a copyright notice but it would be a good idea to do so,” he said. Showa said he hoped that Thapong Art Centre was an active member of the copyright society of Botswana so that it would be able to protect and advance the interests of its members in an effective manner.

He indicated that artists too needed to be financially savvy so that they received just rewards for their creativity. “I urge Thapong Visual Arts to consider teaching artists business and management skills because these are some of the areas they should be exposed to lest they continue to be taken advantage of,” said Showa.

He paid tribute to Rebecca de Figueiredo, saying women artists face more challenges than men. “As a society in general, we need to support our women folk who have chosen to take up art as a vocation so that they fulfill their potential,” he said.

He said the majority of households in Botswana were female headed, thus making females bread winners; “so supporting all of them in any way possible is terribly important,” he added. Showa said women artists also had to contend with prejudice and discrimination with their works selling for significantly less than their male counterparts.

“This is something we need to combat. An artist’s gender should have nothing to do with their market value,” he said. Coordinator of Thapong Visual Arts Centre Reginald Bakwena said members of the art centre should not be afraid to approach them whenever they want to exhibit their art pieces.

“As long as you are a subscribing member of this centre, you can approach us for an exhibition and we will see how to assist you,” he said. He indicated that they were set to hold an exhibition for members of Thapong and the deadline for submissions is March 28.

Wilson Ngoni and Rebecca de Figueiredo’s exhibition will run from March 8 until 21. Ends