Culture | Bokone Bophirima Provincial Government

CULTURE
The Bokone Bophirima is the only Province in the country which has Arts Development and Training Institutions in the form of Mmabana Centres. They are situated in three of the four districts of the Province. The Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sport Foundation is popularly known across the country for producing household names that have dominated the South African entertainment landscape over the past two decades. This is an opportune time for the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sport Foundation to be positioned as the paramount Arts Academy in Southern Africa. This can be achieved by the following: o Reviewing the courses offered by the institution in line with the current trends o Getting the institution accredited o Employing suitably qualified and accredited facilitators o Acquiring of residence for facilitators, students and artists o Sourcing more funding from National Government, Private Sector as well as International donors o Vigorously marketing the institution in other provinces as well as neighbouring countries as an arts academy of choice for the future o Rebranding of the Institution The Bokone Bophirima Province currently has four Community Art Centres. Atamelang Community Art Centre (Ngaka Modiri Molema District), Kanana Art Centre (Dr Kenneth Kaunda District), Bray Community Art Centre ( Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District) and Maubane Community Art Centre in Bojanala District. Motswako Music Genre and Setswana Traditional Music and Cultural Dance are proudly Bokone Bophirima Brands. They have to be developed, supported, promoted and marketed vigorously to ensure they generate substantive income for the Province. A few years ago the Bokone Bophirima established Cultural Ensembles that were unique and presented themselves as proudly Bokone Bophirima Province brands. These ensembles are able to accommodate a large number of artists all at once, writers, directors, technicians, musicians, dancers and actors. This variety of artists can be sourced from all the districts as such making the production truly representative. Ensembles create jobs for a large number of people and should be pursued and be promoted as a Bokone Bophirima Brand. The Bokone Bophirima Province has many Creative Writers. For some time there has been a call to establish a Publishing House that will ensure marketing, publishing and promotion of their works. The establishment of a Publishing House will therefore promote and expose Bokone Bophirima Writers and will also attract other writers from other provinces and abroad, and this will generate substantive income for the Province. The Bokone Bophirima Premier has pronounced that the Province will host a massive Arts Festival which should be of the same standard as other big festivals around the country. This festival should be properly conceptualised, planned and implemented to ensure that it will attract scores of people from around the country and other parts of the world. It will create jobs for artists, small businesses, and will promote the Bokone Bophirima Province as a destination of choice. The arrestingly diverse landscape of the Bokone Bophirima is occupied by charming people who’s responsibility to the land parallels their strong sense of tradition. The culture of the people of the Bokone Bophirima is to be found in every aspect of their daily lives - in the beadwork, the pottery, the houses and the music and song. The people of the Bokone Bophirima are predominantly BaTswana in origin and their language is seTswana. They can trace their origins for many centuries through a turbulent history of war and migration across the plains and valleys of the province to the borders of the Kalahari. Other groups touching on the Bokone Bophirima are the Ndebele in the east and the Sotho to the south. The Mmabana Cultural Centres, located at Taung, Mafikeng, Lehurutshe, Klerksdorp and Thlabane are important centres of learning where individuals can gain skills in a wide range of arts. Music tuition at these centres is often the only opportunity that aspiring musicians have to learn and express their talents. A short distance south of Mafikeng is the Lotlamoreng Dam Cultural Reserve which is presently being renovated

CULTURE

The Bokone Bophirima is the only Province in the country which has Arts Development and Training Institutions in the form of Mmabana Centres. They are situated in three of the four districts of the Province. The Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sport Foundation is popularly known across the country for producing household names that have dominated the South African entertainment landscape over the past two decades.

This is an opportune time for the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sport Foundation to be positioned as the paramount Arts Academy in Southern Africa. This can be achieved by the following:

o Reviewing the courses offered by the institution in line with the current trends
o Getting the institution accredited
o Employing suitably qualified and accredited facilitators
o Acquiring of residence for facilitators, students and artists
o Sourcing more funding from National Government, Private Sector as well as International donors
o Vigorously marketing the institution in other provinces as well as neighbouring countries as an arts academy of choice for the future
o Rebranding of the Institution

The Bokone Bophirima Province currently has four Community Art Centres. Atamelang Community Art Centre (Ngaka Modiri Molema District), Kanana Art Centre (Dr Kenneth Kaunda District), Bray Community Art Centre ( Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District) and Maubane Community Art Centre in Bojanala District.

Motswako Music Genre and Setswana Traditional Music and Cultural Dance are proudly Bokone Bophirima Brands. They have to be developed, supported, promoted and marketed vigorously to ensure they generate substantive income for the Province.

A few years ago the Bokone Bophirima established Cultural Ensembles that were unique and presented themselves as proudly Bokone Bophirima Province brands. These ensembles are able to accommodate a large number of artists all at once, writers, directors, technicians, musicians, dancers and actors. This variety of artists can be sourced from all the districts as such making the production truly representative. Ensembles create jobs for a large number of people and should be pursued and be promoted as a Bokone Bophirima Brand.

The Bokone Bophirima Province has many Creative Writers. For some time there has been a call to establish a Publishing House that will ensure marketing, publishing and promotion of their works. The establishment of a Publishing House will therefore promote and expose Bokone Bophirima Writers and will also attract other writers from other provinces and abroad, and this will generate substantive income for the Province.

The Bokone Bophirima Premier has pronounced that the Province will host a massive Arts Festival which should be of the same standard as other big festivals around the country. This festival should be properly conceptualised, planned and implemented to ensure that it will attract scores of people from around the country and other parts of the world. It will create jobs for artists, small businesses, and will promote the Bokone Bophirima Province as a destination of choice.

The arrestingly diverse landscape of the Bokone Bophirima is occupied by charming people who’s responsibility to the land parallels their strong sense of tradition. The culture of the people of the Bokone Bophirima is to be found in every aspect of their daily lives - in the beadwork, the pottery, the houses and the music and song.

The people of the Bokone Bophirima are predominantly BaTswana in origin and their language is seTswana. They can trace their origins for many centuries through a turbulent history of war and migration across the plains and valleys of the province to the borders of the Kalahari. Other groups touching on the Bokone Bophirima are the Ndebele in the east and the Sotho to the south.

The Mmabana Cultural Centres, located at Taung, Mafikeng, Lehurutshe, Klerksdorp and Thlabane are important centres of learning where individuals can gain skills in a wide range of arts. Music tuition at these centres is often the only opportunity that aspiring musicians have to learn and express their talents. A short distance south of Mafikeng is the Lotlamoreng Dam Cultural Reserve which is presently being renovated

Image of the Bokone Bophirima Premier

Quick links

All documents are in PDF format

Bokone Bophirima Province is bordered by Botswana in the north and is fringed by the Kalahari desert in the west, Gauteng to the east, and the Free State to the south. It is known as the "Platinum Province", owing to its wealth of this precious metal. The province has a population of 3,2 million people who mainly speak Setswana. Mahikeng (previously Mafeking) is the capital,well-known for the famous siege which took place in October 1899 during the Anglo-Boer/South African War.

The mainstay of the economy of Bokone Bophirima Province is mining, which generates more than half of the province's gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce. The chief minerals are gold, mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp; uranium, mined at Klerksdorp; platinum, mined at Rustenburg and Brits; and diamonds, mined at Lichtenburg, Christiana, and Bloemhof.

The northern and western parts of the province have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches. The eastern and southern parts are crop-growing regions that produce maize (corn), sunflowers, tobacco, cotton, and citrus fruits. The entertainment and casino complex at Sun City and Lost City also contributes to the provincial economy.