Botswana

^{Visual artists in the country have resolved to form a body that will look after their interests and advocate for their rights. Speaking at the inaugural meeting that was held at the National Museum on Saturday, the head of arts at the museum Phillip Segole urged the artists to have a sense of purpose and to be committed to their profession. He also urged them to respect time, especially when dealing with the corporate world. Read more courtesy of Botswana Press Agency.}

^{Artists attending the Gabs Arts 2007 Workshop at Thapong Visual Arts Centre are pleased with the event and have praised it as a noble effort towards the development of visual arts. The artists, whose work will be showcased in an exhibition at Thapong, said this when speaking to The Voice on Wednesday. "This is an exciting and stimulating experience. There is a lot to learn from other artists through exchange of ideas and interaction. Read more courtesy of allAfrica.}

_{Visual artists must be rubbing their hands in glee after the recent announcement by the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Major General Moeng Pheto, that his Ministry was in the process of buying local artworks for the decoration of public offices. Pheto, who made the announcement at the launch of Artists in Botswana exhibition, also said that he would encourage other ministries... Read more from allafrica.com}

_{His 3-metre high bronze sculpture called 'The Village Musician' is displayed at Changchun Sculpture Park (China), the oldest sculpture park in the world, yet Isaac Chibua is one of the humblest artists around. The artist's hero, renowned segaba player Ratsie Setlhako, whom Isaac describes as the 'best traditional violinist, who was very skillful and much adored,' inspired the work. Read more from allAfrica}

_{Three women artists, Keabetswe Kanasi, Dintle Mogaleemang and Rebecca de Figueiredo, will showcase their works at an exhibition called "Painting and Pottery Exhibition" at Thapong Visual Centre. Mmegi caught up with two of the artists, Kanasi and Magaleemang at their studio at the centre. The other half of the exhibition is Rebecca de Figueiredo who specialises in painting. Figueiredo, who is from Bristol, England, came to Botswana in 1986. Read more from allAfrica} 

_{Deep in the Kalahari sandveld a group of San artists relive their ancient past when the veld was endless and game and food abundant. They revive it in strong forms and vibrant colours and express it in a yearning for better days that are forever gone. But also they show to their own people and to the world that they are still the "First People", not about to disappear or become assimilated. Within one decade this collective of artists...Read more from africaserver}

_{Art is slowly taking shape in this country in that while the Department of Youth and Culture is aggressively promoting it among the youth, there are yet other organisations dedicated to promoting it. One of the organisations is Alliance Francaise of Gaborone, which has arranged a tapestry exhibition, which officially opened on Tuesday and is scheduled to run until April 8 at the National Museum...Read more from allAfrica}

_{The 2007 Maitisong Festival gets under way this week, with 10 variety shows scheduled to run from March 16 to March 31, 2007. Kicking off the Maitisong festival this Friday is a Collaborative Fine Arts exhibition entitled "My word" at Thapong Art Gallery.}

_{The exhibition will run till March 30 and is seen as the start of collaboration between a group of Fine Artists associated with the Thapong Visual Art Centre in Gaborone...Read more from allAfrica.}

_{Exhibitions have become the order of the day. Art lovers do not have to wait a long time to attend one by renowned artists. Only weeks after Veryan Courtenay Edwards', February 1-28 'Unity' exhibition ended at the National Museum Main Gallery, another exhibition opened on the 6th of March. The exhibition, which will run until March 20, will show paintings by Petra Rohr-Rouendaal and ceramic works..More info from AllAfrica.com}