Yesterday, a Mogorosi Modisane entered the premises of Thapong Visual Arts with an artwork.
He left the very same premises that day P25 000 richer, thanks to the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC).
The vigorous annual BTC Phone book Cover competition came to an end this Thursday with a glamorous Prize Giving Ceremony held at the Centre.
The winner for this year’s competition, Modisane, did not only walk away with P25 000 cash courtesy of BTC, but was also graced with the opportunity for his work to grace the cover of the 2011 BTC Phone book.
The requirements for entry into the competition were that artists creatively depict the BTC group namely- BTC, Botsnet and be MOBILE, as well as how BTC improves the lives of Batswana through its services, and the legacy which the BTC group is laying out for future generations of Batswana.
The centre, home for the artists who took part in the competition, also received a donation of P25 000 from the institution. It’s said that the donation will go towards the further development of the visual arts.
“This is in true testament of our faith in local talent,” said Pilot Yane, BTC Head of Product Management, giving a keynote address at the prize giving ceremony. “We believe that if nurtured, the arts can positively contribute to the livelihood of the artists, and to the economy as a whole. We aim to give them more than just a chance to reach their audience this once; we want to give a platform as well as the environment to launch themselves.”
Golekanye Molapisi, the BTC Communications Manager, said that the artists who entered the competition turned in truly magnificent works. “We as the BTC Group are proud to be associated with such immense talent,” said Molapisi. “We are in awe of the dedication and the commitment that is reflected in the quality of the art pieces. In our eyes you are all winners.”
Modisane said that his artwork was inspired by the traditional Setswana concept of Molaletsa, which formed a big part of Botswana culture in the past. He said that his theory was that BTC is a shelter for Batswana as shelter remains one of the most important requirements for a human being. He added that he used cow dung and sticks to give his artwork definition.
“I took about four weeks to complete the piece, three weeks was for conceptualising the project and the last week was the practical aspect,” said Modisane.
During the ceremony Thabo Mapine, popularly known as Nomadic, gave a stellar poetic performance.
