Botswana’s animation scene is ready for its next plot twist. Animator and creative entrepreneur Theo Silitshena has landed a coveted residency in Türkiye, but his biggest project isn’t the trip itself. It’s turning one international opportunity into seven free classrooms where the country’s next generation of storytellers can learn to bring their imaginations to life.
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Botswana has produced musicians, filmmakers and fashion designers with global ambitions. Now, an animator wants to prove that cartoons can travel just as far.
When Theo Silitshena received the email confirming his place at The Cartoon Mill’s prestigious seven-day animation residency in Kaş, Türkiye, it wasn’t just another passport stamp. It was proof that Botswana’s stories are ready for international screens. Before boarding that flight, however, he faces one final obstacle: raising P70,000.
“Attending The Cartoon Mill requires P70,000 to cover the lean, non-negotiable travel, program and operational costs associated with participating in an international residency in Europe,” he told Time Out.
FROM PIXAR TO THE MEDITERRANEAN
For Silitshena, founder of Learn Animation, the acceptance marks another milestone following his Mandela Washington Fellowship, where he engaged with creatives from Pixar, Titmouse and the Walt Disney Family Museum.
“It proves that the creative work we are producing here in Botswana is being recognized on an international level. Knowing that our local stories have global resonance gives me immense personal pride and fuels my commitment to this craft,” he said.
His goal in Türkiye is to develop original animation concepts inspired by Setswana culture, heritage and contemporary life, refining them alongside international mentors into projects that can resonate with audiences around the world.
THE REAL MASTERPIECE COMES HOME
The residency may last only seven days, but Silitshena wants its impact to extend far beyond the experience itself.
If fully funded, he has pledged to return and deliver free animation workshops, complete with learning materials, to seven government school art classes. Students will be introduced to animation fundamentals, digital production workflows, storytelling, cultural identity and creative career pathways.
Having spent the past four years teaching in private schools, Silitshena says he has seen how access to creative education often depends on circumstance rather than talent.
He said: “Government schools house vast, untapped talent… young people who have the drive and imagination but lack exposure to modern creative industries.”
Even if the fundraising falls short, he said every pula raised will still go towards delivering those workshops.
In a country where the animation industry is only beginning to find its footing, Silitshena isn’t simply asking people to fund a trip. He is inviting them to invest in Botswana’s creative future, where the next internationally acclaimed animator could be sitting in a government school classroom, waiting for someone to help draw the first frame.