Talking Musica

RAMPHOLO MOLEFHE | Monday December 17, 2007 00:00

Otherwise the girls will be required to sing praise songs for the presidents of the country, parliamentarians and councillors at state ceremonies and funerals, especially as elections draw near.

The girls will also be required to sing praises to the Kings of the 'major tribes' as and when he shall decide that he is broke enough to invoke his royal prerogative to summon community investment in his personal endeavour to look rich. We now yearn for a revolutionary definition of culture which will ask the state to better the living condition of the working person. 

That should begin with: - 
* the legal establishment of a national cultural council
* recognition of a self-sponsored trade union of artists, possibly a federation of trade union artists organisations

* activation of the Copyright Act and protection of intellectual property laws of the country beyond just those aspects of the laws of the country that protect foreign investors in industry, commerce, trade and state enterprise

* government sponsorship of cultural authorities in the name of the local authorities in the form of community development officers, government based social workers and other people who work with creation of artefacts

* cultivation of a culture of appreciation of professional ethics and conduct in the practice of artistic work

* facilitation of artistic activity including the building of a national arts theatre, revamping of community centres and support of the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture 

* Pursuit of the 2016 goal of building an 'educated and informed nation' which cannot be found in the absence of a thriving arts environment

* Agitation at Domkrag - which appears destined to rule for as long as the opposition plays possum - for aggressive implementation of the Botswana Cultural Policy, which is itself lacking in respect of the manner in which it pretends to address the economic sustenance of the poor household. (Refer to Botsalo Ntuane, BotlhogileTshireletso and Margaret Nasha, if she should get over her troubles with Roy Sesana. Nasha - I don't care what anybody else says - is a good person.

* Cultivation of the progressive response of the Botswana nation to the Internet in particular and information technology in general. Botswana artists have to be informed about how their creations will be used on radio, television and in the most modern medium of the Internet.

* Unbundling - so the South Africans spoke - of the information sector so that only a small section of BOPA will do government propaganda work whilst the major part of it will be privatised or given to public proprietorship. As matters stand, the government information services are state-owned.

Do not be deceived by the deceptive designation of 'public press' designed by the CIA.  An independent broadcasting community would empower the private radio stations and remove the burden of biased reporting from the existing government media.

* Proper training of journalists at the University of Botswana and private institutions.  A qualification in 'communications' is not a qualification in journalism. UB must train proper journalists and stop floundering with unfocused generalists who will only be able to say that they are 'communicators'. A graduate of the UB school of journalism should be able to say: 'I am a photojournalist. I am a journalist. I am a layout artist. I am a designer'. Or 'I specialise in reporting on the arts'.

* Establishment of cultural exchange programmes for artists. Botswana artists - disproportionate to their disadvantage in population - excel to much the same degree as the Americans or South Africans. The awards that Machesa, Culture Spears and others have received abroad tell the obvious story. Quite apart from that, we boast of a level of professionalism that has carried John Selolwane to the heights of the musical world in any part of the globe imaginable.

* Encouragement of seriousness at the national musicians' awards and the Presidents' Day Holidays. Botswana is a great arts country. The arts industry of this country will, in the long run, carry the people far much further than diamonds, Domkrag and cows. I believe in art. Happy New Year.