President’s Day competitions return
The popular President’s Day Competitions will make a return for the 2022 season after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) recently issued a public notice calling on artists to register for the 2022 competitions. Registration for the competitions started on March 21, and is set to end today on April 8, 2021. The theme for this year’s competitions is, “Creative industries: A vehicle for sustainable development”. For performing arts, the categories for the competitions include poetry, drama, polka, setinkane, segaba, comedy, contemporary music,
DJ, traditional song and dance, dikhwaere, choral, mogolokwane and music video. Under visual arts, the categories include drawing, painting, sculpture, new media, beadwork, photography, leatherwork, jewelry, textile, tapestry, glasswork, woodcarving, lekgapho, basketry, ceramics, pottery, fashion design/dress making, modelling, stamp design and hair dressing.
The competitions were last held in 2019. Prior to their suspension, the multi-discipline competitions had gained popularity among the youth, with over 14,000 participants. In 2021, there was uproar among the creative stakeholders after the MYSC decided to sponsor gigs otherwise known as the Music Extravaganza recordings, which as only limited to a few selected artists.
Both the Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU) and the Botswana Entertainment Promoters Association (BEPA) condemned the move, which was part of government’s relief effort to performing artists who were hard-hit by the pandemic.The competitions were among former President Ian Khama’s pet projects during his tenure in office.
They are credited for creating employment for the youth, taking the youth away from the streets, reviving cultural expressions among communities as well as developing and unearthing new talents across the country. Millions have been spent yearly on prize awards and sustenance of the competitions since inception. The competitions are scheduled to start on June 30 with the National Art, Basket and Craft and end with the awards ceremony on July 18.