28 Jun 2018

An introvert and calm Omphile Sefako’s confidence gleams through as he starts talking about his art work.

Sefako, who recently won first position in the 2018 Gaborone region President’s Competition will be competing in the upcoming national competitions next month.

He specialises in portraits that show Botswana culture and wildlife as they are the ones, which sell more.

Sefako uses a ball point pen for his drawings to emphasise realism.

This exposes the naturalism of his drawings and gives his potential clients a close feel of the subject he has drawn.

The multi-talented Sefako is also reputable for his Skeem Saam merchandise, which almost every young person own especially in Ramotswa.

He started the Skeem Saam brand in 2013 whils still in high school.

“It all started by sketching the graphite on paper and it came out beautifully that is when I decided to use it as a logo and started it as a brand,” Sefako explained.

He then printed 10 Skeem Saam branded t-shirts as his pilot project and gave them for free to people and the response was positive.

That motivated Sefako sell the merchandise, which included caps, beanies, sweaters, hoodies and stickers.

He launched the brand in 2015, where a number of local artistes particpated.  

While the business was doing well, he developed passion for drawing potraits.

“I could not give my Skeem Saam business and drawing equal attention so I had to find a balance between the two,” he said.

The young artist, who is also academically gifted but decided to drop the course he was doing at New Era University College, said he was not passionate about the course.

This was a bitter phase for his mother as Sefako said she believed he was making the worst mistake of his life.

“I knew very well that my mother was not going to take the decision well but I had a plan. I knew I was not going to regret the decision I had made,” he said.

Immediately after droping out of school, he started selling his drawings to industries and individuals and his business started flourishing.

In 2016,  he entered the President’s regional competitions and his work earned him a place to compete in the national competitions and took second position.

In 2017, he entered the same competitions again and scooped first position.

Within a short period of time as he was now recognised, his business market expanded and there were more buyers and his art work proved to be making him more profit than his merchandise.

Sefako said there were times when clientele was scarce.

Nonetheless, he persevered.

Also, he does shoe decorations with dye and uses the money to buy art equipment.

The ambitious young man envisions his future with his portraits in galleries in countries such as Germany and said he is counting a few years from now by the grace of God.

He said the door was open anytime for upstarting artists who want to learn a thing or two from him and advises young people to work on their dreams and to nurture their talents. ENDS