During the Art Talk event organised both by Hale and Thapong Visual Arts Centre, the decorated photographer stated that Botswana has a vast opportunity to monetise photography. He pointed out that the country itself is rich in tourism as it is even a host to a large population of elephants in the world. “Botswana feels like home. I was always surrounded by Whites in Vietnam, Morocco it was Arabic people. So here in Botswana I also see lot of opportunities for you to monetise photography in the country,” Hale said. Hale maintained that not only is he in awe of the national tourism in Botswana, but he feels that art locally also has the opportunity to penetrate the international market and stands at a greater chance to monetise the craft. “I am always interested in art; all types of art and I feel most comfortable surrounded by art. So, when I had an opportunity to visit Thapong Visual Arts Centre, I was taken aback by the quality of the art and the diversity of the art. I was fascinated and these are things that can generate money for them,” Hale emphasised. Furthermore, he highlighted that Botswana holds enormous talent and that most of the photographers and other visual artists should be sharing their craft with the rest of the world.
He pointed out that they have it in them to execute such. “There are several artists that I feel should be out there now in the world. And a lot of times I know that we are more comfortable at home where we know people, we know the places and we are reluctant to go out there. But I have always believed that artists need to leave their comfort zone and go out there,” he said. He held firm the belief that creatives should not shy away from taking risks as it can open a lot of opportunities for them, which is what turned out to be the case for him. He emphasised that once doing that, people can always return to their native countries where they can be comfortable all they want. “Batswana should go out even if it’s close by to South Africa or another country so that their art, their culture and blend to create something new,” he elaborated. He further asserted that local creatives should also take advantage of the social media platforms as they possess the power to break boundaries and introduce the creatives to the international market. “When you want to go commercial, one thing that you need to do also is to embrace the social media platforms. I use two mediums to show my work; one is Facebook and Instagram to post pictures of my work. This is a way to share your talent with the world,” Hale said.
