04 Dec 2023

The local creative arts will benefit from the presence of American television and radio host, producer and actor, Mr Steve Harvey.

This was said by President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, when welcoming Mr Harvey who paid a courtesy call on him at the Office of the President yesterday.

Mr Harvey is in Botswana for the launch of Studio 4 at Mass Media Complex, through which he will facilitate the development of local producers.

President Masisi said the country’s production houses would leverage on the experience of Mr Harvey, and utilise the facilities provided at the Mass Media Complex for different forms of capacitation and training.
Dr Masisi said such needed to be sustained in order for Botswana to strengthen its domestic creative sector.

Noting that the development had been in the pipeline for long, he said government had to take time to address the concerns of some within the country.

The President said Botswana was a democratic state with strong institutional culture of expression of opinion and that it was within the rights of citizens and interest groups to question government decisions or seek redress.

Dr Masisi offered the reassurance that the decision to engage Mr Harvey was done in good spirit in the best interest of developing the country’s creative sector.

On the other hand, Mr Harvey said he had been looking forward to coming to work on mentoring local production houses, and noted that the development had been due for considerable time.

He said though COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the initial plans, permanent secretary in the Ministry of State President, Ms Goitsemang Morekisi, and Deputy Permanent Secretary- information and broadcasting in the same ministry, Mr Oshinka Tsiang, worked hard to ensure preparations continued unabated. Ends