Raburu preserves culture through visual arts
Lindiwe Mozola | Friday July 7, 2017 15:17
One driver of such a vehicle is 28-year-old Thato Raburu, who aspires to preserve heritage and culture through his visual arts.
Hailing from Tswapong in the small village of Majwaneng, Raburu said that he is inspired by everything that is from nature, environment and people to name but a few in telling a story of the past, present and future.
“Sometimes people do not believe me when I tell them that some of my artworks I get from my dreams. At times I will wake up at night motivated from a dream and start scribbling on my papers only to come up with a magnificent piece of artwork, a clear indication that art is everything. I am not just blowing my bubbles, I was born to do this. It’s in my DNA,” he bragged.
He further said that he learnt of his talent in drawing during primary school where he used to scoop many awards during art competitions.
He said that the highlight of his talent was when he scooped position one in the then Water Affairs art competition where he designed a magnificent piece of art and won a whooping P1,000.
One could tell from the smile on Raburu that when he talks about his artworks, that indeed he is passionate about it. Moreover, his knowledge of his roots and heritage showed that he has love for culture and would do about anything to preserve it for the future generations.
Raburu said that he hopes to preserve what is left of Batswana’s heritage through his art, bemoaning that modern times have taken over culture and heritage, more especial among the youth who show ignorance of their roots. “Visual arts is more than a piece of drawing and painting. It communicates deeply to one who has an eye for art, hence with my painting I hope to resuscitate our culture and tell stories of our past.”
Art influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time, “Therefore it’s my only wish that my art work helps the coming generation to know their roots”.
He decried lack of support from Batswana who fail to appreciate art as most of his works are bought by foreigners who happen to show more interest in the country’s history than its custodians.
He questioned whether their lack of support is because of the disregard they have for arts or just that they do not understand visual arts in general.
Raburu added, “Sometimes I think that Batswana need to be educated on art so that they understand it is just not a piece of drawing or painting, but a deep communication tool, which uses different media”.
His future plan is to own a workshop where he can display his artworks and also work full time on his pieces. Currently, he does art part time as he is a full time employee at Choppies.
He also hopes for the government to extend its hand in supporting the art industry, which he vowed will contribute signuficantly to the country’s economic diversification efforts.