GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a bid to stimulate public interest in social issues through visual media, rapper and filmmaker Game ‘Zeus’ Bantsi’s Do-It-Yourself Entertainment recently screened a film on climate change at New Capitol Cinemas at Riverwalk.
Titled “Climate Change in Botswana,” the docu-series reel seeks to unravel the state of climate change in Botswana by stimulating dialogue on the frightful issue in the context of Botswana’s socio-cultural, economic and political circumstances.
“New Capitol Cinemas holds a special place for Botswana film audiences and creators for celebrating the power of the medium,” Zeus said during the film show. “DIY Entertainment is using the gracious showcase opportunity to highlight the potential that creative content has in addressing social issues and changing attitudes to create impact.”
The pilot documentary features opinions of people from different walks of life. Voices of the youth, the informal sector, industrial class workers, farmers and senior citizens are featured in the film that also shows work done by stakeholders in Botswana’s climate change action ecosystem. These include representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and women farmers.
“The production will sensitize the public to the risk and impacts of climate change and how they can play a role in the national climate action agenda,” said Zeus. “It will also help to grow the climate change response movement by creating easily understandable content that can cascade the messaging.”
The filmmaker noted that Botswana ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1994 and the Paris Agreement in 2016, which established a goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and to make efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Leading up to adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the government submitted pledges to reduce greenhouse emissions by 15 percent by 2030. Botswana has since achieved significant strides in addressing climate change but public engagement remains low.
“This suggests that although action by government and other institutional bodies might be progressing, pubic engagement in climate change might still be lacking,” said Zeus.