UB launches Arts Festival and Carnival

| Thursday March 19, 2015 18:54

The launch to be held at the UB Dance Drama Classroom (Block 253) will take the form of a mini-festival and run for two days.  The festival will feature works by UBVAPA students and artists from Gaborone.  The mastermind behind UBFACE Connie Rapoo, explained that since this is an inaugural event, it will only feature invited artists from Gaborone. 

She added that in the future, the festival would be inclusive of artists from across the country. “We are happy to launch this exciting initiative. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our students’ skills and show how VAPA is advancing the theatre and performance industry in Botswana,” Rapoo said. She also said the mini-festival will feature plays, cultural dance, poetry, and a flash-mob.

“The UBFACE initiative is premised on investing in people and investing in collaborative partnerships in order to promote creative and cultural entrepreneurship in Botswana. 

“The Theatre and Arts festival is an opportunity for artists across all genres to showcase their work, to network with others in the industry, and to grow professionally.  The carnival is really about cultural exchange – showcasing and celebrating the different cultures that currently exist in Botswana.

“All artists in the country have the opportunity and the obligation to establish a vibrant and sustainable industry here at home, and UBFACE is a forum to do exactly that,” Rapoo said. She explained that the full festival and carnival will take place in October.

“My passion for Botswana arts, culture, creative industries, and indigenous performance traditions inspired me to create UBFACE.  But I thought to borrow the forum of carnival because of the colour, noise, exuberance, and the excitement that the experiences bring,” she said. UBVAPA, which was formerly established in 2010, offers courses in acting, design, script writing, and directing