Youth engaged on BOT50 signage
Spira Tlhankane | Friday March 4, 2016 12:39
The signage would be put in villages and towns across Botswana as part of the decorations ahead of the independence celebrations on September 30 this year. The coordinator of Thapong, Reginald Bakwena told Arts & Culture that they have targetted unemployed youth from various districts across the country. He said the project is a way of creating temporary employment for the youth.
“It is also a skill-sharing platform and every week we bring in different young people to work on the signage,” he said. Bakwena added that they would reach youth in remote areas so that they can also contribute. “It is not a sustainable project yes, but the youth get reward and then have something to put on the table,” he said. Bakwena said the project is a boost for Thapong because they have a lot of unemployed artists who needs hands-on experience.
“They come week in and week out because we want to give everyone a chance to contribute,” he said. He said Thapong and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture have a database where the artists are pulled out of.
“Afterwards we take them through interviews to assess their weaknesses and strengths so that we can put them in the database. We will need them in the future so it is always important for them to showcase their skills,” he said. He said it is always good to see the youth contribute.
“We bring the youth from different districts. We mix them and teach them all the steps,” he said. Bakwena said involving the youth could help them for future reference.