28 Aug 2024

The creative industry is an expansive and immeasurable sector that requires the structure to grow into full potential, says His Excellency President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi.

Speaking during an interactive breakfast session with the creative sector in Gaborone yesterday, President Masisi urged those in the industry to populate the structure with the right attributes and create an economy that they wished to fashion, and was private sector-led.

He talked about the existing state of affairs where the creative sector was government led, and noted that it should not be the case.

“I do not believe in being fixated on a government led economy but private sector led. Cabinet has authorised the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Honourable Tumiso Rakgare to review the National Arts Council Act in order to allow the creative to thrive through it,” he said.

The President said in his last term, his wish was to focus on education to align it with the creative sector. He noted that this vision was guided by the fact that curating talent early opened up opportunities to children and parents to decide from an early age what the future would look like.

“I want to create an economy totally different from what we have now, an economy of sustainable growth where things replicates themselves out of human ingenuity. This calls for creating a platform where that ingenuity can function,” he said noting that it was in line with international standards.

He further emphasised the need to leverage technology in a bid to position the creative industry as one of the engines of economic growth, noting that the impact of digital economy could not be ignored.

 President Masisi said  this called for a dedicated investment that would catalyse the creative capacities. 

He urged the private sector to play a leading hand in fostering an environment conducive to the growth of the sector.

He further challenged the private sector to be deliberate in supporting the arts by committing to the concept of nation state and to the people.

President Masisi said government had since formulated inclusion laws to benefit every Motswana including the creative.

Former music promoter Ms Zenzele Hirschfeld expressed gratitude to President Masisi’s commitment to fostering dialogue between government and creative industry. She said his vision and dedication to development of the arts sector had laid a foundation for growth. 

“When government and the creative industry engage in meaningful dialogue, magic happens. Policies are shaped not just by regulations but by inspiration, and economic strategies are informed by the unique perspective of those who see the world differently,” Ms Hirschfeld said.

She said the dialogue was not just a conversation but a collaboration and partnership where both parties brought their strengths to the table, with government bringing in resources, infrastructure, and policy-making power whilst the creative industry brought along innovation, cultural insight and boundless imagination.

“Our creative industries are more than just a source of entertainment, they are a powerful vehicle for social development, cultural enrichment and economic growth,” she said.

Meanwhile, industry players called for unity and the need to work as a collective to grow the industry. 

They said Botswana creative industry had grown and surpassed the potential stage as they could now export talent  internationally. ends