DIB collects four awards 03 September, 2002

The Department of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday collected four awards at the Media Institute of Southern Africa annual gala dinner and national media awards in Gaborone. Radio Botswana's Morning Show producer Laona Segaetsho scooped the Radio Presenter of the year award while Botswana Television's Reginald Richardson got the Television Newsreader of the year award. The Investigative Reporter of the Year Award went to Botswana Television's Bakang Radithokwa. Bester Gabotlale of the Botswana Press Agency shared the third price for Journalist of the Year award with Sello Motseta of The Clarion. The awards, which have previously been dominated by the private media, and most of which are inaugural came as a first for the Department of Information and Broadcasting. The nascent Mokgosi newspaper stole the show as it scooped several awards, which have traditionally been the domain of much older newspapers. Mogakolodi Boikanyo of Mokgosi won the Journalist of the Year award with Nomsa Ndlovu of The Voice coming second. Mokgosi also won the Newspaper Graphic Design of the Year award and its photographer, Lefoko Mogapaesi, scooped the photographer of the year award. The Sport Reporter of the Year award went to Mpho Dibeela of the Guardian while Tholani Nyathi of the Mirror is the Business Reporter of Year. BOPA

Local photographer exhibit in the US 27 February, 2007

GABORONE - Local photographer, Mogakolodi Boikanyo, is exposing his talent to the international market by exhibiting his photographic works and showcasing Botswanas culture in the United States of America (USA). Boikanyo will exhibit his photographs at the Duquesne University in Pennsylvania State on March 12-23. The exhibit will focus on Botswana traditional houses and the architectural part of it. He said the idea is to take advantage of the international market not only to showcase his talent but to showcase the richness of Botswanas culture. This is my initiative. I want to share with the outside world the beauty of our traditional houses, which are now becoming extinct, as well as to share with the world the potential in African photography, he said. Boikanyo, who is also a writer, said due to modernity, Batswana have neglected their traditional houses for modern ones. In the advent of modernity, he said part of Botswanas culture should be preserved so as not to leave the impression that Batswana never had something they can identify with. This is why I am showing Botswanas culture through the lenses of the camera. I have captured that which identifies well with the life of Batswana, he said. He said despite the modern houses which have taken over, the traditional houses provided shelter for Batswana and if well built, they survived harsh weather. The traditional houses are cylindrical in shape and made from clay walls with conical thatch roofs. Women used the houses to explore their creativity by decorating the house with soils of different colours especially during weddings and independence celebrations. He said as the country is battling with measures on how it can brand itself, traditional houses can help in branding the country. We do not have to look far to find branding measures. Why not use something which has always been part of Batswana, something that identifies with Botswana well, he said. He advised other local artists to take advantage of the international market to showcase their wares adding they should not expect to be spoon fed by the government. They should find their own means of exhibiting outside to brand themselves. Alongside photography, Boikanyo is also a writer. He has authored a book Lo ojwa lo sale metsi, a supplementary literature text for junior certificate level. In 2002, he was honoured with the journalist of the year award, while working for Mokgosi, a Setswana newspaper that has since folded. In 2004, he exhibited mind blowing photographs at Thapong International Visual Art centre themed The Final Judgment. The pictures featured a death by train, to try and prevent people from committing suicide by throwing themselves in front of moving trains, something which was common then. BOPA

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