The auction, organised by CityFan Live in partnership with the Museum Café at the National Museum, is expected to begin at 3 p.m. and continue into the evening. Organisers have also called on the corporate sector to support the initiative, which they say combines artistic excellence with social impact. Speaking to Arts&Culture on Wednesday, CityFan Live founder Victor Leshomo said the auction will feature paintings created live during the Final Stroke campaign, a two-day show held at the World Athletics Relays at the National Stadium a month ago. According to Leshomo, what began as a voluntary initiative to build excitement, participation and national pride around the Debswana World Athletics Relays has evolved into a pioneering public engagement platform that combines sport, art, culture, tourism, economic empowerment and social impact. Leshomo said the initiative was conceived to address what organisers viewed as limited opportunities for visual artists during the global sporting event.
“The World Athletics Relays was a historic occasion for Botswana and Africa, but we felt that visual artists were not sufficiently included in the empowerment opportunities linked to the event. That is why we created Final Stroke,” he said. The campaign invited Batswana to nominate and vote for their favourite painters through social media platforms. The artists with the highest public support advanced through a selection process that eventually identified five finalists. The selected artists were then invited to the National Stadium, where they painted live over two days in front of spectators, athletes, international visitors and media representatives. Leshomo said the artists were provided with painting materials through support from Artswana, while CityFan Live covered logistics, accommodation, meals, refreshments and branded merchandise. Artists who participated include Bezuba Kaunda, Joe De Artist, Kenneth Bale, Gomolemo Kgosimodimo, and Michelle Motshedi. “The atmosphere was incredible.
