22 Aug 2023

Theatre is one of the creative sectors that the National Arts Council of Botswana (NACB) will prioritise to promote commercialisation and access to the market within the creative and cultural industries.

The NACB Creative and Cultural Development manager Tshireletso Modikwa expressed the sentiments during the Makgabaneng International Creative Arts Festival (MICAF) theatre competitions on Saturday.

Modikwa said the council acknowledged the role played by initiatives such as the Makgabaneng arts festival in supporting the local theatre industry.

“Our intention and programming will continuously seek to assist our artistes to be able to live off their talent and penetrate the international market in line with the principles of Mindset Change,” Modikwa noted.

The MICAF theatre competition aims to showcase the work of emerging, as well as established theatre practitioners in the country.

It also serves as a platform for the talented individuals to gain recognition and network with industry professionals and secure future opportunities.

He, therefore, said NACB, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Gender and Culture would continue to empower artistes through the provision of arts and culture grants, mobility grants, capacity and skills building initiatives as well as protection through advocacy and regulation.

Modikwa further appealed to artistes, relevant stakeholders and the private sector to join hands with NACB as they seek to package the programme to continuously respond to the needs and aspirations of the artistes. 

He said this was in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in positioning the culture and creative arts, to positively contribute towards economic development, poverty eradication efforts and the Resent Agenda.

Modikwa called on the artistes   to not only compete, but use the opportunity to market, promote and package their talent into a viable commercial vocation.

“You are encouraged to utilise this platform and learn from other artistes and network for future collaborations. You are also encouraged to leverage technology and social media to create content, promote, market and sell your art,” he said.

In addition, he reminded them of the need to position themselves in a way that contributes positively to the commercial image and interest in their craft.

Meanwhile, Makgabaneng Arts Festival executive director Tony Buru said the festival aimed to turn the creative industry into a lucrative investment as suggested by the theme: The Creative Space is a Business.

He said the festival was not in isolation or devoid of government policies or structures, but contributed to government and NACB mandates in many ways.

The theatre competition is one of the series of activations for MICAF and will be followed by a film viewing Session in September.

The MICAF Official Opening & Expo is scheduled for October 27 while the picnic session will be on October 28 followed by closing gala dinner on October 29.  ENDS