The French embassy to Botswana and Alliance Franchaise recently hosted a ceremony to mark the beginning of a week-long contemporary architectural exhibition at the Botswana National Museum. The museum was filled with outstanding architectural works from France, that exhibitors said can only be seen in France.
According to the Ambassador of France to Botswana, Genevieve Lancu, the exhibition is specifically tailored for worldwide distribution. The same photographs that were displayed across the room at the museum could be seen in other parts of Africa as well.
Lancu said France has always been at the forefront of the international scene when it comes to architecture and her embassy found it fit to share her country’s rich architectural heritage with the rest of the world.
For those who didn’t know much about art, eye movement around the pictures was easily achieved than on other artworks, mainly because the works were not abstract, but of actual buildings that are in existence today in France.
The chairman of the Architecture Association of Botswana, Jode Anderson, congratulated the French for compiling a stunning collection of images, which can inspire other architects, especially those from Botswana. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Samuel Outule commended the ambassador for using the arts to make relations between Botswana and France a success.
“France has always been the leader and motivator in arts exhibition. We appreciate the work that you put into assembling all this collection” he said.
Local artist and curator Otsetswe Bogosibokae said there is a point where art and architecture meet. He said in using art to understand architecture, creativity is moved away from just a box to a variety of characters.
“We are yet to get to the level where we have buildings that are particular to Botswana and its traditions, “he said.
