Sketching power from lived experience

Otlarongwa Kgweetsi | Monday April 28, 2025 11:06

For Lorato Botshabelo, a 25-year-old self-taught multimedia visual artist from Mahalapye, the story began with chalk and a classroom board in her primary school days. Raised in Selebi-Phikwe, she first discovered her knack for drawing when an Agriculture teacher would ask her to sketch farm implements for classmates. It was a quiet beginning, but one that hinted at the bold, creative path she would later pursue. “I never got the chance to take art seriously in junior and senior school. But I was always that person helping others in their art classes. I’ve always been drawn to creating. I think it’s just in me,” she shared in an interview with Arts&Culture. Her journey into art formally began in 2021 with tie-and-dye merchandise. By 2023, she was painting and exploring graphic design. A breakthrough moment came when she exhibited her piece, Phases, at the National Museum in November that year.

The artwork, inspired by the moon’s cyclical phases, struck a deep chord with viewers. “Phases captured my journey. It was about how we all go through moments of emptiness and fullness, just like the moon. The feedback showed me that I wasn’t just painting, I was connecting,” she said.



Botshabelo’s work is deeply influenced by her experiences living with undiagnosed ADHD into adulthood. She describes the condition as both a challenge and a wellspring of creative energy. She explains that sometimes she is overly stimulated and or over-analytical. “If I don’t immediately express an idea, it lingers until it overwhelms me,” she said. Beyond art, she is also academically inclined, currently pursuing the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) qualification at Botswana Accountancy College. She balances this with a global advocacy role as a board trustee for ReportOut, a UK-based human rights organisation, and leads a local initiative called Saúde Menstrual, which promotes menstrual health education among adolescents.

Her multimedia work spans painting, graphic design, beading, clothing, and children’s colouring books. Particularly notable is her use of recycled materials in papier-mâché artworks, which advocate for environmental consciousness. “I once walked around government offices asking for an old newspaper and finally got one at the Office of the President,” she recalls. “It’s my way of promoting proper waste management while creating something beautiful,” she stated. Despite her growing success, Botshabelo has also faced public criticism. Her intoxicologist merchandise, created to celebrate beverage artisanship, was met with backlash from anti-substance abuse advocates. “People misunderstood the message. It wasn’t about promoting drinking, it was about recognising the artistry behind it,” she added. She remains grounded by advice from fellow artists who encouraged her to break out of isolation and collaborate more. “They told me that staying self-absorbed limits your growth. Collaboration is key. That shifted my perspective completely,” she added. With ambitions to open a hybrid curio store both online and physical she hopes to offer products that reflect her evolving vision.

She also dreams of collaborating with renowned local talents like Wilson Ngoni and Ron De Artist. At the heart of Botshabelo’s work is more than just art; it’s therapy, advocacy, and dialogue. Her creative voice speaks for many, and each piece she produces brings with it the quiet strength of someone who once found her power in silence.