Diba celebrates cultural heritage through fine arts
Lindiwe Mozola | Friday February 13, 2015 18:00
Diba told Arts&Culture that Botswana has a rich national cultural heritage, which can play a huge role in shaping leaders of tomorrow by enriching them with the knowledge of their language, food, dress, norms and values.
“Often when we transform we forsake our culture, which is quite sad because our children will never know of their past. My artworks therefore celebrate and embrace our culture to keep it alive and known worldwide,” he said.
Diba shared that his love for art had started since he was small child. He related that he would draw whatever he came across. “
I drew portraits of my family members, which to date are still framed and mounted on my bedroom wall,” he said.
He further said that although his academic performance was poor, he always excelled in art. After completing high school, he pursued his love of arts by establishing a small studio at home under the name Booster Visual Art Investment.
However, due to financial constraints he hasn’t been able to register his company, which is one of the obstacles that hinder his business’ growth. Diba also said lack of enthusiasm and knowledge of fine arts by Batswana was also a challenge.
“Batswana’s knowledge about arts is limited and they are not enthusiastic on arts. It is high time Batswana recognise arts as a form of work or business that can contribute to the economy of Botswana,” he said.
Diba said his passion and patience had kept him on his toes at a time when he would have thrown in the towel. “I knew that one day my skill would be able to feed me. I receive support from Supa Ngwao Museum who display my artworks from time to time and also find him potential buyers. This keep me motivated,” he said.
He also peddles his artworks from door to door.