Gazette Reporter
Capital Bank Botswana says that Botswana’s creative industries hold viable and sustainable opportunities for contributing towards the diversification of the economy and can be leveraged to further the country’s standing as a destination of choice. The bank was the main sponsor of the prestigious Royal Moscow Ballet which convened on the night of March 7th 2018 on a roaring crescendo note! The renowned platform from the performing arts took place at the Gaborone International Convention Centre.
This year’s production was a night of sheer mastery! It has been an honour for us to have supported the Royal Moscow Ballet 2018 as main sponsors. This platform has evidently grown into the hearts of Botswana’s society and it is indeed an incredible platform that demonstrates the excellence and the professionalism of the performing arts,” said Jaco Viljoen, CEO of Capital Bank.
“We are an operation that provides assistance to support the ambitions of movers and shakers in the local market. We therefore were just as endeared to sponsor the Ballet out of the recognition of the powerful role that the creative arts industry plays in our society. We understand and support the mission of creative industries because not only are they a wonderful platform of inspiration, the arts are tried-and-tested tools for education programmes across the world and continue to build local and international trade relationships for Botswana,” He continued.
The creative and cultural industries can be defined as those whose major outputs have some symbolic value – such as the performing arts, the fine arts, film and craft but also possibly include jewellery design, publishing and fashion and other supporting professions. Global estimates project that creative industries generate approximately US$250 billion in revenue a year and create approximately 29.5 million jobs worldwide. Estimates report that the creative economy is growing annually at 5% per annum worldwide and is likely to triple in size globally by 2020.
Founded by principal dancer and choreographer Anatoly Emelianov and creative director Anna Alexidze in 2002, the Royal Moscow Ballet has given more than 1,000 performances in countries across the globe. In addition to the colourful array of pieces, the opening act for the night was presented by Botswana artists from the renowned ballet school, Risa Ballet.
“Through the performing arts, many histories including our own here in Botswana, are told and preserved for us and the world to behold. We have traditional dance and song that continues to tell the Botswana story to the world. Supporting such platforms as the Royal Moscow Ballet therefore allows us as Capital Bank to support initiatives that draw people to Botswana even more. We have the opportunity as Botswana to drive considerable country revenue generation from this sector if we collectively leverage its potential,”concluded Viljoen.