Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Open Letter to Hon. Shaw Kgathi

Dear Editor

It has become a worrying factor for us to see so many of our friends in the music industry deciding to go and stay and trade in South Africa. The big question has been why? The industry is rattled with growing problems ranging from lack of political will ion the part of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to drive the Arts agenda, lack or insufficient of funding opportunities for artists and arts organizations by the Ministry,lLack of Policy and Regulatory infrastructure for the arts in a form of National Arts Council, High Piracy rate of local works and lack of performance venues/facilities to name a few.

The past 12 months Botswana has lost musicians and big record labels like Eric Ramco, Slizer, Shumba Ratshega, Mokorwana, Bullet and so many others who are now based in Polokwane, Pretoria and Johannesburg. The question is what impact will this have? The impact will be severe because these people have not only left with their voices but have taken with them studio equipment which they will use to record South African musicians and lead to lack of recording facilities here at home, some of these artists are revered traditional musicians and the genre will suffer a huge knock and disappear, there is high possibility that Borankana will erupt as a new genre in RSA.

The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture has still not answered questions that have been put before him from the beginning of his tenure, being How far and where is the National Arts Council? The criteria used to fund Sports and Youth sectors and abolishment of funding of arts organizations. Honestly since the arts moved to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture they have not grown much as compared to when they were at Labour and Home Affairs. This is due to lack of political will – nothing else.

Lastly as a matter of record the Minister since ascending to this post has never had a stakeholders forum with the Arts or even a breakfast meeting but with Sports he has had more than 20 interactions. The only time you hear of the Minister is at the Pitso or Heritage Day Awards. I have just heard that Sports Personalities will be earning salaries, something that has left us shocked as we are not sure how the Ministry that has been pleading poverty to the arts is going to get that money because we also want those salaries as we have worked hard to build the music industry in Botswana. Some of us are representing the country as well in what we do.

In closing we want the Minister and the Ministry to explain to us why the local music industry is dying a natural death? The Minister surely should be worried at our complaints and all we need from him is to give us the attention we deserve because he is not The Minister BNSC and BNYC.

Yours In Music

Seabelo Modibe

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