- Is determined to show value of night life economy to the country
- Botswana’s creative sector accounts for 5.43% of GDP
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a bid to trace the contribution of the country’s night life economy, the Botswana Entertainment Promoters Association (BEPA) has embarked on a case study, Time Out has established.
As it currently stand, Botswana’s creative industries account for 5.43 percent of the country’s GDP, according to a study conducted by the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA).
“We are working on a case study that will be submitted to the government,” said the president of BEPA, Gilbert “PP” Seagile at a media and stakeholder briefing in Gaborone recently.
North West University
“From the 5.43 percent, we want to know how much night events and clubs contribute to that whole figure. It was done in South Africa by the North West University and they actually found out that films were leading in the contribution, followed by the night life economy.”
Threats to night life economy
Seagile asserted that there are obstacles that threaten growth of the night life economy, hence the creative sector will address the issues at its schedule Creative Industry Summit.
He gave fraudulent practices that take place at music events and the “unfair practice” of prime restaurants operating with night club licences as some of the issues that affect growth of the sector.
“This trend is killing the creative industry because we bring a prominent artist to perform at a certain club and these restaurants will have the same arrangement at no cost to revelers,” Seagile said.
“We are closely following this issue with the city council because we would like to know how those licences were acquired. Events have not been doing well because of those franchises and prime restaurants.”
Creative Industry Summit
Meanwhile, BEPA is working on a three-day Creative Industry Summit that will host key industry players, including MPs, where all issues affecting the industry will be discussed.
The creative sector currently falls under the purview of the Liquor Act and wants to lobby for an entertainment law so that the industry may operate independently from the liquor industry.
“There is going to be a day where we discuss issues of policies and another day dedicated to funding,” Seagile explained.
“We will challenge the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture to tell us the criteria they use to fund because the same people are always funded.
“We want to challenge the tourism ministry to tell us what they are doing for the creative industry. We want to tell these big companies to stop competing with promoters for hosting events because their business mandate is not aligned with hosting music festivals.”