12 Mar 2019

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) corporate communications and public relations manager, Golekanye Molapisi has called on artists to consider art as a profession.

Speaking at a workshop hosted by BTC and Thapong Visual Arts Centre on March 11, Molapisi said art could be a  source of sustainable livelihood, and encouraged artists to treat it as a business and not only a hobby as it was currently perceived.

He said artists not only enriched themselves with their artefacts, but also helped the country to attract tourists.

He said his organisation believed that as a professional artist, an individual could grow and improve their livelihood. He said the arts had also proved to have a positive effect on the mental well-being of an individual.

Molapisi said they hoped that the participants would emerge knowledgeable and empowered to enhance their artistic craft as well as unearth any hidden talent that they may have.

Thapong Visual Arts Centre board member, Mr Tom Ketlogetswe applauded BTC for their funding, and stated that it had been difficult to execute their mandate and run workshops due to financial constraints.

He said assistance from organisations such as BTC would ensure that artists were trained.

Ketlogetswe said they hoped to run more workshops in future with assistance from BTC, and appealed to other companies to emulate BTC and assist them in empowering and growing the arts sector.

The objectives of the workshop were to implement recommendations from previous competitions by judges and to improve the standard and professionalism of art submissions.

BTC and Thapong Visual Arts Centre signed a three year partnership worth P1.7m and the money is geared towards the BTC phone book competition, Thapong Artist of the Year Awards (TAYA) as well as sponsoring workshops that empower and equip artists with artistic knowledge. Ends