Creatives welcome P200m fund but.....
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Tuesday November 18, 2025 08:32
Boko announced that his administration has committed to facilitating access to funding, primarily by directing P200m from the Alcohol Levy Fund towards the procurement of local creative content. 'I am delighted to announce that the government has decided to avail P200 million from the Alcohol Levy Fund towards the procurement of creative arts content from our young people,' said Boko.
The president also said the Cinematography Bill, which will modernise Botswana’s film industry with clear standards for production, distribution, and exhibition, will finally be tabled before Parliament during the current sitting. Boko indicated that the P200m funding represents a significant boost from the previous P2m budget. Following this, industry players have welcomed the developments, hailing it as a good initiative.
Whilst commending the initiative, renowned music promoter and former BEPA president, Gilbert Seagile, called for measures to ensure that this money reaches the intended beneficiaries. Seagile highlighted that there have been good initiatives intended to boost the creatives in the past, but they were mismanaged.
'I strongly pray that this P200m truly reaches the creatives on the ground - not employees through workshops, imprest, hotel stays, or endless admin. This money must empower the artists, the promoters, the producers, and the real drivers of the creative industry. Let it transform the industry where it matters most. We have seen in the past how good initiatives are hijacked by systems that do not understand the reality of life in the creative trenches. Artists don’t need more seminars or paperwork; they need support to produce, promote, and perform,' Seagile said.
For his part, Thapong Visual Arts Centre's Reginald Bakwena hailed the government's decision to cater for the creative industry. 'The SONA was great. This time, the creative industry has been allocated P200m, which is a very good initiative for the industry. Historically, the industry has been getting a lower budget of P4m. This time, the government has decided to address the needs,' Bakwena said.
Bakwena said the creative industry is among the sectors that were badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and has struggled to recover. Therefore, he said called for better administration of these funds to fully benefit the sector.
'I trust that the government has a good structure to administer the funds,' he added.
Bakwena also said these funds should benefit all creative sectors or disciplines, such as visual, performance, theater, arts, and indigenous arts, which are housed by regional museums. He also called for the promotion of research based on the Botswana culture. He also called for the creation of a monuments park with the historic background of Botswana. He noted that for the arts to contribute meaningfully to the GDP, there have to be some changes, such as a review of the national policy to allow the arts to be administered by people who understand the sector.
Controversial musician, Thabang Garogwe, said for years, the creative industry was assumed to grow through handouts rather than a solid, sustainable plan. This, he said, has always been a significant downfall, as it benefits only a few. He said the creative industry lacks a rooted plan that outlines a path toward self-sustainability and serves as a generational economic model contributing to the larger GDP. Garogwe said the President failed to address this in his speech and repeated the same script used by previous governments- throwing money at them and moving on.
'For years, the government has exploited creatives by diverting funds meant for them to non-creative-related projects. As long as this unjust practice continues, the creative sector will never thrive. There is no possibility of perceiving genuine change from the government while this situation persists. The state of the creative industry cannot be properly addressed without rectifying this wrongdoing. If we are serious about developing the creative industry, it begins with preventing our government from exploiting its people,' he said.