Acknowledge Media In Culture Promotion

Editor | Monday July 26, 2010 00:00

Sadly, it does not appear that the private media was thought about as part of the recent 'cultural pitso' apparently driven by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture.  But the very fact that the event took place adds to evidence that there is noticeable concern at Cabinet, and particularly at the Office of the President, about engaging the youth and traditional artists in the mainstream of the national entertainment industry.

We urge that the copyright society must not become a monopoly of business people and that the artists' collectives must be permitted participation and oversight over its functions. It has already received a large amount of taxpayer's money which the artists unions should be informed about.

This newspaper has also carried stories about the establishment of an arts and crafts cooperative in Ngamiland, which should serve as a market where tourists and arts traders can buy artefacts as souvenirs or to sell further down the market chain.

We are compelled to note with deep regret though that the Members of Parliament who complain about the failure of the ministry responsible for sports and culture and its subordinate committees, failed dismally, to take advantage of the recently concluded World Cup.  Not only did the ministry fail the nation at that event, but it also used preparations for the World Cup as an excuse to hold the national football leagues to ransom by keeping the national stadium in Gaborone away from them for months.

Minister Shaw Kgathi could at least show some humility by acknowledging these failures instead of rubbing salt into the wounds of those who had prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that the World Cup offered.  We plead that the 'cultural pitsos' should acknowledge the role of the media in the promotion of culture.  In the most developed countries, the arts are treated together with journalism, as part of the information industry and journalism as part of the entertainment industry.  The reasons are obvious.

Secondly and finally, may we also plead that the country cannot run sport and culture in a sustainable manner by presidential or cabinet initiative alone.

There are organisations of civil society that were formed precisely for that purpose, among them the artists unions, departments of the University of Botswana and others who are the appropriate people to run the pitsos and pass their findings to government.

We can only wonder at the length of time that it has taken to establish the Botswana National Arts Council, which would be best placed to administer matters of arts development with the support of the government and the artists union.