Botswana’s creatives just got a heads-up that the future is digital, owned, and monetized, or they get left behind.
Why was she in the room
Why was she in the room
- Marang Selolwane showed up on behalf of the creative sector
- The platform was a foresight dialogue about Africa’s long game
- The focus stayed on preparing culture and creativity for what is coming
- The creative arts voice came from the National Arts Council of Botswana
- The mandate was speaking for artists, creators, and cultural workers
- The angle leaned practical rather than aspirational
- Culture, creative arts, and tourism are sliding hard into digital spaces
- Global competition is already online and not slowing down
- Digital infrastructure got framed as survival gear, not a bonus
- Making content is not enough anymore
- Ownership and monetisation were flagged as the real power shift
- Intellectual property systems need tightening if creators want leverage
- Access to markets keeps creatives boxed in
- Expanding reach was pitched as an economic strategy
- The goal is for creators to actually earn from their work
- Creatives were positioned as core to experience-based tourism
- Culture-driven experiences were framed as economic fuel
- The sector got called out as a growth driver for Botswana
- Investment in infrastructure was treated as foundational
- Skills development showed up as non-negotiable
- Policy frameworks and enterprise support were framed as deal-makers
- Long-term planning was treated like a discipline, not a buzzword
- Future challenges were framed as predictable if planning starts early
- Opportunities only land when systems are ready
- Digital innovation is not optional anymore
- Market strategy and policy support have to move together
- Culture and creativity are being positioned as economic strategy, not side projects
