02 May 2022

The establishment  of the National Arts council of Botswana would serve as a launching pad for greater and expansive growth of the local creative industry.
 Officiating during the Polka festival night on Saturday, Minister of Youth Gender Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare said the council would help resource the arts industry.

He noted that artistes had complained of  lack of support such as equipment and improved  infrastructure.

He therefore said, the council would ease facilitations of  operations and promote trade  as well as giving them exposure.

He said the country was endowed with immense talent, therefore, he implored all the stakeholders to join hands with the government to continue to unearth the hidden talents and nurture them.

Moreover, he indicated that, government continued to prove its commitment in supporting creative industries, as he said some artistes participated at Dubai Expo to showcase their talents.
The minister further urged  parents to support their children   in  pursuing careers in arts.

This, he said would also go a long way in assisting the country to achieve greater benefits such as building a resilient economy.

Additionally, Minister Rakgare  implored communities to continue supporting  Khawa Dune challenge event, as it promoted  tourism in the area and ultimately improved  the lives of Khawa residents.

Meanwhile, the fun filled polka night was graced by eight performing polka groups and two NamaStap groups who kept the audience in an awe-inspiring mood the following a two year break due to COVID-19.

Amongst the entertainers were the Khara Khoen Nama Stap from Lokgwabe and the mighty polka dancers aka Kalahari Dancers who closed the session with a bang. ends