Thapong has improved local arts - Bakwena

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Tuesday June 15, 2010 00:00

 

Speaking to Showbiz in an interview, he said that since the inception of the centre in 1989, there has been remarkable growth of the arts.

Bakwena pointed out that art has evolved from colonial times when the British art greatly influenced local art, adding that local artists have found their own language. He paid tribute to some forerunners in the visual arts like Keeme Mosinyi, Phillip Segola and Jack Mazebedi who paved the way for the new generation of artists.

'After the establishment of Thapong, local artists started to seek ways of improving their craft,  trying new things and interacting with their international counterparts and this has helped a great deal,' he said.

Bakwena added that a good number of Thapong members are able to secure sponsorship for further education, which has boosted  the standard of the arts in Botswana. 

He also asserted that the many workshops that they have hosted at the centre have helped  members grow with some going to the extent of taking part in international exhibitions and workshops.

Bakwena said that the establishment of Thapong has seen artist growing in leaps and bounds and that today it has over 400 members, both artists and non-artists and that his organisation is working day and night to attract more members.

'Thapong has helped a number of artists become full-time artists and to be able to live out of art such as Isaac Chibua who has recently opened his own studio that is fully operational,' he said.

He commended Thapong for having helped Batswana appreciate the visual arts with the numerous exhibitions that they organise yearly.

Currently, Thapong endeavours to take art to places outside Gaborone including rural areas and they have embarked on a countrywide tour where they are conducting what they call capacity-building workshop as they try to establish contact with artists outside the city.

He believes that this move is going to bring more members to his centre and that is why Thapong is also looking at increasing working space by building a bigger gallery and more studios for their artists.

He said while he appreciates the financial help that his organisation has managed to get in the past, he believes that they could use more funds to be able to accomplish some of the projects that they have in the pipeline.

Bakwena asserted that Thapong attracts a lot  of young people which he says is good since  these youngster have the potential to define local arts.

He said that, however, he was saddened by the fact that many of young artists are reluctant to go to tertiary institutions saying that they should always have something to fall back on if things do not go their way. The coordinator encouraged the youth to choose courses that could help further their art careers.

In other Thapong related news, Bakwena and his team are currently in Maun where they are holding a capacity-building workshop as part of the plan to take the visual arts to Batswana outside metropolitan Gaborone.