Resign, artistes tell Chilliboy
Angry and frustrated artistes say Youth, Sport and Culture Development minister Tumiso ‘ Chilliboy’ Rakgare has failed them dismally and should resign immediately. Almost nine months after the industry was closed and submission of letters demanding resolution of their grievances later, artistes are yet to get anything tangible from the powers that be.
Hungry, frustrated and running out of options with families going to bed hungry, and landlords locking their properties many are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and depression.
Efforts by Botswana Promoters Association ( BEPA) have yielded no results. The likes of ATI, Exotic, Dollar and many others are now calling on government to review number of patrons at events. Currently, only 50 people are allowed at events, something that industry players say does not make economic sense. This week, the artistes & creatives spoke in unison that enough is enough. “Chillyboy must write his resignation letter immediately,” they said.
They were speaking at a press briefing called to map the way forward for the industry. Initially they had planned to walk to Parliament after the briefing, but couldn’t after some of their members were detained. Exotic said they had intended to invade parliament but that government had employed some delay tactics by summoning some of their members to the police station. But he said that distraction had failed to silence them. “Our mandate still remains the same. We want numbers for events to be reviewed. And we are giving them until Thursday ( yesterday) to give us answers”, he said adding that they expect good news by Friday.
With the borders have opened for travel entertainers fail to understand why they have been left out in the cold.
He said they were unhappy to have a minister who cares very little about the state of an industry that has pumped a lot of money into the economy.
He shared how on Tuesday evening, several messages sent to the Minister appeared to have been ignored.
“O re shapa ka seen,” he said. He said they would double their efforts if they do not get answers. Another speaker, Dollar said that to fight the spread of Covid- 19 they will use face shields to contain saliva, as well as increase the number of ushers at events. He called on industry players to unite in order to break the system. He said while struggling to make ends meet, a clause in the wage subsidy document enjoins them not to fire employees. “A poor nightlife affects everyone including the women who sell food outside clubs, the taxi industry and so many others who rely on the industry,” he said. President of Botswana Promoters Association Gilbert Seagile jokingly said that if the situation persists they might be forced to hire churches which under the current status can take up to 100 people. He said they have hit a brick wall despite using World Health Organisation mass gathering guidelines to propose the way forward for the industry.
He called on government to review numbers and give them 50 percent of a venue which is better than nothing. He said whether an area is a red zone or not should determine numbers for events.
“In areas that are not red zones, they should review the numbers,” he said.