Celebrating self government- Btv unable to rise to the occasion

Sandy Grant | Thursday March 5, 2015 15:14

What I did see was an interview with the amazing Mma Gaositwe Chiepe and then, on Sunday evening, the filming of the commemoration meeting in Lobatse at which she again spoke, fluently and with total recall.

With no disrespect to the other speakers, eight in all as far as I can remember, some were more suited to the occasion than others.

It could be said, not unkindly I hope, that the meeting being organised on standard, traditional lines, much like a funeral, could have been more imaginatively set up.

My major concern, however, rests, with Btv’s filming of the meeting which it did as if it was radio which was being deployed, not television.  If those present at the meeting were bored stiff – and I repeat ‘if’ because it was impossible to gain any kind of impression from the little of the crowd that Btv chose to show us – there was no need for it to bore all its viewers as well.  The obvious point that has to be made is that this anniversary should have been regarded as a practice run for the more important one next year.  This should have meant that it was seen as an invaluable opportunity and challenge to enliven and support the speakers with appropriate visual, back up material.

This didn’t happen. 

Should we understand that Btv was unable to find the archival material which could have really brought this subject to life, that the government no longer possesses such material or that the Btv people were too lazy to find and then utilise material, not least archival film which is available for those with the energy to seek it out. 

With next year’s celebration in mind, It will need an MP in the National Assembly to try and draw out explanations as to why so little effort was made, and why responsibility for producing material for such an occasion was not given to people who have the energy, the interest, the understanding and the technical expertise to produce material which would tell everyone, excitedly, what this country is all about. 

On the basis of this one film, it does seem that Btv hasn’t a clue about preparing and producing the sort of quality film that is required.

 What it can do and does, is to fall back on its radio instincts to record speaker after speaker with a very few, grudging back up shots.

 With so many people having been trained abroad in the techniques of filming it is remarkable that those at Btv are still stuck in the radio age.  But without a real feel for the occasion and for the available  historical material, training and technical ability alone will not suffice to produce memorable film. 

But to expect that the remarkable Gaositwe Chiepe can again save the day next year as she did this one, may be hoping for a great deal.