The two are 2021 BTC Phonebook Cover Competition winner, Mpho Tlotlo Maleke and 2020 Thapong Artist of the Year Award (TAYA) winner Gosego Motlogelwa.
The competitions, which the duo (Maleke and Motlogelwa) won, are an initiative of a collaboration between Thapong Visual Arts Centre and the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC).
The artists were supposed to go for an exchange or learner programme where they would benchmark as well as expand their knowledge of the arts in any SADC country of their choice upon being declared winners.
However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel, the trip had to be halted. Speaking during the duo’s send-off event, BTC Head of Business Development, Pilot Yane said the exchange programme is a result of a partnership that BTC signed through a Memorandum of Understanding, vowing to support the arts and help grow the arts as a professional entity that artists may use to earn a living.
He said the sponsorship covers the BTC Phonebook Cover Competition, TAYA and Training and Development of Arts Teachers. “It also covers administration and curator fees, amongst other expenses.
Various artists are sponsored to attend workshops and share skills with an array of established professionals throughout the length and breadth of the SADC region, to ensure that our local artists gain international exposure, widen their scope and are competitive,” said Yane. Yane also explained that while in Zimbabbwe the artists will tour monuments such as the National Gallery, Mzilikazi Art & Craft Centre and the National Museum as well as other artists’ studios.
He stated that this would afford them the opportunity to learn the best practice in the field from other professionals outside Botswana. BTC has paid a total of P30,000 to facilitate this exchange.
The cost will cover the artists’ transportation, payment to the host facility, accommodation and meals. Thapong Visual Arts Centre director Reginald Bakwena said this is a big opportunity for the artists to improve their profiles.
Apart from learning, he said the exchange programme is an opportunity for artists to network and create collaborations with other artists across the borders. “Go there and make use of this opportunity to network.
It is quite an intensive programme, which offers you great chance for networking as we always encourage our artists at Thapong,” said Bakwena. For his part, Maleke said they are thankful for the opportunity as it will help them enhance their portfolios. “We thank you for making this happen. It’s been too long, and we were worried. We will represent Botswana well and hope we gain the knowledge that will help improve our skills,” he said.
