Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) and DEE ZONE Production, a film and TV production company, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will see the two joining forces in a five year initiative that they hope will create 50 000 jobs and 50 young millionaires.
BNYC Executive Director, Benjamin Raletsatsi, said one of the biggest challenges faced by Botswana is youth unemployment.
“We are therefore proud to see young people lifting themselves up and creating jobs. We started the Project 50 K in order to help create employment and groom young millionaires in five years time.”
He said the creative industry, which DEE ZONE Production is a part of, has been growing rapidly even at a time when the world was facing a global economic crisis.
He said as BNYC they saw it fitting to join hands with the production company and share in on their success through the Project 50K.
Thabiso Maretlwaneng, Director at DEE ZONE, said his love for karate inspired his decision to do film making after being exposed to martial arts movies as a child.
He started the company after acquiring funds from the National Youth Fund (YDF). “I started with only a camera and a computer,” he said.
The company currently employs 35 young people on a full time basis and has multiple productions on BTV including Ntwakgolo and Letlhabile. They also have a breakfast show on DSTV, channel 154 called ‘Good Morning Africa’.
The event was also meant to bid farewell to a team of nine crew members from the company who would be flying to the US for the WORLD 48 HOUR FILM AWARDS where they will receive an award for their short film DOZO, which beat other local productions.
The aim of the awards is to advance film making and promote small film makers from around the world. The team would depart on March 4 and return on the 11th.
