"Art educational infrastructures and I mean quality ones, are only found in South Africa. I have to applaud the government of Botswana for a change of policy that government departments must buy their decorating paintings and other art works only from Batswana if there is sufficient supply. That is a step in the right direction but our children need to be introduced to art studies at a very tender age not when their imagination is already changing," Chikukwa said.

According to him, the reason whites formed the majority of people who appreciated African art was that colonial policies still exist in most countries. He claimed that during the colonial era, Africans were not free to express themselves artistically and that when new governments took over they regarded art as a hobby.

"For instance the only music that was played then was Western. The artistes were white people telling African stories and in some instances did not tell them correctly. Right now there is this trend of African art being exported to the Western countries and it would be very expensive to buy back our heritage from there. We need to start providing everything that is needed to produce quality artworks and retain them here in Africa," he said.

Although he commended Botswana government's efforts to promote art, he warned that unless people were taught art, government was likely to end up buying quantity instead of quality.

"Most of the artists at this workshop are self-taught including Batswana and buying things from people who were never taught how to do it is not always good. So governments should start taking art studies as seriously as they take science subjects," he said.         

Artistes attending the workshop say the experience has been an eye-opener for them.The workshop, which is attended by artistes from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius, Madagascar and Botswana, aims to improve networking between artistes and give them the platform to share ideas.

Those interviewed by Arts and Culture expressed similar sentiments that it is through such gatherings that visual artistes could share skills and ways of marketing their products.

Mozambique's Titos Pelembe said the information he gathered would not only benefit him but other artistes as he plans to travel around the country and share his experiences when he returns home. "There was so much that a lot of us just took for granted but after the presentations and the discussions the picture has changed. When you do something in a certain environment and you are not exposed to this kind of workshops you sort of become restricted and yet there is actually so much that one can do out there," Pelembe said.

A Motswana artiste Christopher Mokgeledi said that a lot was likely to change at his studio in Gaborone when he returned. He acknowledged that before attending the workshop, he had always focused on traditional kind of paintings but that he has learnt that he needed to mix it with contemporary art, which is mostly appreciated by the younger generation.

Monica Mosarwa Selelo, one of the facilitators, told Arts and Culture that artistes at the workshop have been introduced to various means of marketing their products. She said that most artistes knew little about the use of the Internet for research and marketing.

"They have been taught about various modern technologies available to them. For instance, it is important for artistes to always visit some popular art websites for research. They also need to know about international art events and exhibitions that can benefit them," she said.

The artistes also had a brief introduction to intellectual property rights in order to make them aware of their rights to the art works they produce.

Thapong Visual Arts Centre coordinator Reginald Bakwena described the workshop as a success saying the enthusiasm expressed by the artistes was motivating. "The attendance is good and the artistes are showing the will to work together and take the discussions seriously. We organised this workshop in line with the SADC Protocol on Culture, Information  and Sports, which states that member states should organise workshops to give artistes from the region a chance to exchange ideas. The artistes are also working on some art works here which also helps them to appreciate the cultural diversity of various countries," Bakwena said.

"Batswana artistes have been lacking behind in understanding the language of art. But I am sure that after this gathering most of our artistes would have a better understanding which would help them grow and become open minded," he said.