Artists Learn Art Of Saving For A Better Life

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Monday March 29, 2010 00:00

 

Thapong Visual Arts Centre coordinator, Reginald Bakwena and Velias Ndaba had as of last week Monday grouped up to 20 artists from Francistown and surrounding villages for a workshop at Supa Ngwao Museum.

The workshop ended Saturday with an exhibition of the artwork by the participating artists. Actually, on Friday at 2pm, the artists had an opportunity to critique their works.  Among the highlights of the workshop were presentations from the corporate world, starting with Barclays Bank whose officials instilled in the artists the importance of saving.

After the presentation, one artist was heard to quip: 'Yeah man, an artist may get P15, 000 for a job he has done, but when you meet him two days later, he would not have a single thebe on him.'One of the officials, Clement Nicholas, Premier Relationship Manager at the bank's main branch, told the listeners that there was also art in saving.

'This art of saving can make our lives more enjoyable. It is a well-known fact that Batswana have a tendency of taking out loans, even though they know they cannot afford them. Perhaps when the system of banking arrived in Botswana, they did not advise Batswana on saving, but on borrowing.'When a Motswana wants money for something, he thinks of a loan. When they think of buying a car, they think of a loan and when they think of marrying they also think of borrowing money. 'But what I have realised is that whenever you see a foreigner driving a posh car, he has paid for it fully. We have to know that everything that you easily get can have dire consequences.

'Batswana are indebted because they want to live beyond their means. When you earn, say P1 000, you must budget, knowing what should be a priority and what should not be a priority. 'We are hence trying to engender the spirit of saving among our people. There should be an art of saving among Batswana,' he cautioned. Among the steps he outlined for artists to ensure they 'enjoy life' were:

*To always buy necessities first and luxuries last;

* To take advantage of benefits available like insurance, legal aid and so forth;

* To always draft a realistic monthly budget, knowing how much you are going to use and how much you will be left with; and

* To compare prices in order to be certain that you have bought a good quality product at a lower price.

Another presentation was by the Botswana Productivity Centre (BNPC) on Friday where officials of the organisation, Jacob Mmola, a consultant based at BNPC Francistown Regional Office, and Public Relations Executive, Stryker Motlaloso.Mmola outlined services offered by BNPC, while Motlaloso tried instilling a business sense in the artists, saying however, his was not meant to  'narrow the artistic terrain' navigated by the artists, but that customers want quality from the artists.

'That is why I can buy such and such a product as opposed to such and such a product. Artists are also in business and they, too, must come with certain qualities in order to make gains in their business,' he said.

Mmola explained about the four pillars of BNPC, namely, Productivity and Quality, Enterprise Support, Public Service Programme and Information and Research Programmes.

He said through the programmes, they are trying to drive productivity, not only in the government sector, but also in the private sector.

Mmola said there were three Cs, competition, competency and class, which were central to the success of a business. He said unlike the Motswana of yore, who would undermine his wealth by saying, 'I have got but only three herds of cattle' when in actual fact the cattle were overspilling three kraals, artists must be bold about their work.

This is because they were in competition with other artists or businesses for their service. Also, they should ensure competency and class, not in the sense that meant haughtiness, but positive pride in their products.

In his assessment, after the BNPC presentation, Ndaba said most of the artists in attendance at the Thapong workshop were students, while a minority, perhaps like Jack Bolaane Mazebedi, were seasoned artists.

'They still need a lot of guidance into the real world. We still need to instil discipline in these budding artists,' he said.The artists only used acrylic in their painting as they are actually still learning the ropes, but Ndaba said they would still have to use watercolour, oil on canvas and linocut. In the meantime, Thapong will be setting up a studio in the foreground of Supa Ngwao premises where the artists could come and work once the workshop is over.

But in the long run, the artists would have to move to their homes where they could set up their individual studios, Ndaba said.