Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Volume One
Contents
Introduction
By Richard Rooney .
16
24
41
53
Introduction
By Richard Rooney
Abstract
Magazines as a means of communication like any other form of media perform two basic
functions; to inform and entertain by mixing news, stories and features. This is to ensure an
in-depth coverage and follow up stories. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate
the key elements in the Botswana print magazine production industry. This broad research is
aimed at briefly looking into elements such as market, failures and successes of magazines,
advertising in the magazines, printing, circulation, and publishers, using secondary sources as
the methodology.
Keywords: magazine, media, print industry, Botswana
Magazines are a bit more narrow in
focus compared to the other available
media.
Kobak (2002) notes that magazine
production involves three functions;
Editorial - developing an editorial
product that would appeal to a target
readership.
Circulation - marketing the developed
product to the public.
Advertising - marketing the product
through highly sophisticated selling
methods to a small number of advertisers
who want to reach the public that reads the
produced magazine.
As such, the search is to focus on the
magazine production industry in Botswana
with the three functions as a guide. Other
peripheral issues will be looked into such
as a brief history of magazine production
in Botswana, the failure of magazines in
Botswana, and the dynamic magazine
Introduction
This research is a comprehensive look into
the magazine industry in Botswana, from
the first produced magazine to the present
day. Magazines are a periodical
publication containing articles and
illustrations, typically covering a particular
subject or area of interest (Angus
Stevenson, 2005).
Magazines
are
a
means
of
communication like all other media meant
to fulfil two basic human needs; to inform
and to entertain. According to Katz (2003),
magazines are commonly used to find
out more about our favourite hobbies and
interest. They offer a mixture of news,
stories and features thus they can be used
for in-depth coverage and subsequent
follow-up stories. A magazine is, usually,
less ephemeral than a newspaper, less
permanent than a book. (McKay, 2006)
According to Duffy and Turow (2009),
Statement of Problem
Magazine production in Botswana is an
industry that keeps growing, more and
more magazines are set-up every year, but
little is documented about such a key
industry in Botswanas media landscape.
Objectives
The purpose of this study is to investigate
key elements in the local print magazine
production industry.
Research Questions
The research questions, which govern this
study, are;
What is the current scene in terms of
the local magazine production market in
Botswana?
What are the issues faced by the local
magazine production companies?
Magazines in General
How the magazine industry works is
written in the simplest form by O'Connor
(2013) as;
A clever editor wishes to communicate
an insight. They put words and pictures on
pieces of paper, and find people to read
this content. Once you get enough readers,
then hopefully advertisers wish to engage
with this content.
To do all the above, a team is put
together under one company and thus
know as a magazine production company.
There are many ways to classify what is
known and referred to as a magazine.
Categorisation of magazines differs from
country to country. (De Beer, 1998)
Added to this different researchers
distinguish them with different terms, most
of which are highly dependent on the
different magazines available within a
given market. In the case of Botswana,
there are three main types of magazines
namely;
Literature Review
Botswana Magazine Research
Conducting research on media in
Botswana is very difficult let alone a
research in one such microscopic area as
magazine production. This is so the case as
Botswana has no independent media
research institution. (Sechele, 2006)
Added to this, most other research done on
media in Botswana looks primarily at
radio, television and newspaper. Often, the
term newspaper is used to represent all
other print media including magazines,
newsletters and advertisers.
Magazine production in Botswana
began in 1962 with the production of the
first copy for the then Bechuanaland
Government information branch in
Editorial
There is a lot of teamwork that goes
into the production of a magazine. This
includes the work of writers, editors,
graphics
designers,
photographers,
printers, and distributers, to name but a
few.
Some magazines opt to outsource some
of the services needed to produce a
magazine while others carry out
everything in-house. Some authors such as
Evans (2004), suppose that due to the
technological
advances,
magazine
production can be a one-person business.
This is mainly due to the fact that most of
what is needed is based around desktop
publishing. This is a great method to
starting up a business without having to
search for finances for starting up the
business. Thus, one can have as minimum
a staff complement until the magazine
takes off then thus employ a full team once
the magazine is fully functional.
However, Evans (2004) goes into
listing a staff compliment of about 35 or
10
Findings
According to the Botswana Registry of
Companies Registrar of Companies and
Intellectual Property - Name Search
online database (Industry, 2012), there are
257 registered magazines in Botswana. It
is the authors observation that it is not
possible to find more than 10 locally
produced magazines on any given
newsstand at a given time within the
country.
Due to the lax methods of record
keeping and standards that govern
magazine registration and licencing in
Botswana, it is difficult to have the actual
statics about the current situation in
Botswanas magazine print industry. This
also goes for the growth of the industry.
It must be noted that due to
irregularities in classification, some
magazines in Botswana are classified as
newspapers. This happens at the point of
registration or at the licencing due to the
fact that the forms filled in do not indicate
clearly what the options are and what the
11
Lack of a market
This is the case as the population of the
country is small compared to most other
nations and added to this problem is the
fact that local magazines have to compete
with foreign produced magazines which
are also available on the newsstands. Most
of the foreign produced magazines that are
available in Botswana newsstands are from
South Africa. The opposite of having
Botswana produced magazines being
exported for sale in other countries such as
South Africa has been very difficult due to
the lack of appeal.
12
Discussion
Lack of easy access to information from
key offices has led to a lot of difficulty in
getting information, which thus led to
more time in completing the research. The
researched information is of benefit to all
and hence should be included in local
reports on media. In most cases, statistics
in terms of magazine production is covered
under one umbrella as print media or as
newspapers. This then leads to a lack of
statistics in terms of the magazine
industry.
In terms of the editorial, most consumer
magazines in Botswana suffer from a lack
of well researched and well written content
for the target audience. This is caused by a
lack of planning when putting together an
editorial team at the beginning or the
choice of wrong team members. This
shows a lack of a magazine strategy. With
the strategy document at hand, a lot of the
failure points discussed on this paper
would be avoided.
The circulation of magazines in
Botswana is usually done by the same
company, which produced the magazine.
This is an extra cost that is usually not
factored into the calculations when setting
up a magazine. The lack of a door-to-door
delivery service by the Botswana Post
could have aided the industry as this could
have assisted in distribution through
subscription. Other third party distribution
methods remain available but are still too
expensive to be a viable option for now.
Conclusion
There are no measures to audit the
magazines produced in Botswana. Such
offices as the Audit Bureau of Circulation
do not exist in the country and such a role
is meant for the Botswana Post to cover.
Thus, there are no statistical figures (such
as the ABC figures) about any of the
magazines produced within the country. At
times the Audit Bureau of Circulation
South Africa does capture some
information on Botswanas circulation but
13
References
Amogelang, E. (2013) Botswana
Magazine Publishers Struggling to Make
Headway. The Patriot.
Angus Stevenson, C. A. L. (2005) New
Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Botswana, Government of (1999)
Botswana
Handbook.
Government
Printers.
Click, J. W. & Baird, R. N. (1983)
Magazine editing and production.
Dubuque, Iowa: W. C. Brown, 1983. 3rd
ed.
De Beer, A. S. (1998) Mass media,
towards the millennium : the South African
Handbook of mass communication,
Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik, 1998. 2nd ed.
Duffy, B. E. and Turow, J. (2009) Key
readings in media today : mass
14
Suggested citation
Mosha, M. (2014) The Local Print Magazine Industry in Botswana. In Rooney, R. ed. The
Botswana Media Studies Papers. Gaborone, Department of Media Studies, University of
Botswana.
15
Abstract
The paper aims at understanding the relationship between corporate social responsibility
(CSR) and community development in Botswana. In the extant literature there is very little
discussion on the impact of CSR on stakeholders, particularly in the context of Botswana.
The literature shows that there is a need to develop a proper conceptual framework that
would make the risks and benefits tangible and visible to the various stakeholders. The
concept of CSR has developed enormously since its inception half a century ago and
encompasses philanthropy, community development and legal and ethical issues besides
economic responsibilities. But economic responsibilities of businesses are considered to be
dominant in the African context. This study based on fieldwork in Botswana analyses the role
played by grant managing institutions in delivering CSR and the perspectives of the
beneficiaries in this respect. The study highlights the various challenges posed by the
inadequate capacity of the grant managing institutions and the poor networking among the
various nongovernmental organizations. Hence it leaves a negative impression about CSR on
beneficiaries. A majority of the respondents believes that businesses engage in CSR for
reputation management and that they are the least concerned to facilitate local economic
development. Three quarters of the beneficiaries strongly feel that CSR should aim at funding
towards sustainable income generating programmes besides other areas. The Botswana case
necessitates the development of strong networks between the fund granting institutions, fund
managing institutions and the beneficiaries.
Key words: beneficiaries, Botswana, corporate social responsibility, perspectives,
stakeholders
The extant literature is focused largely on
the supply side. The origin of the concept
of social responsibility, the different
objectives adopted by firms in discharging
social responsibility and the types and
Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility is a much
debated concept which evolved through
half a decade acquiring different
connotations at different points in time.
16
Overview of Literature
Academic discussion on the social
responsibilities of business firms started at
least half a century ago. It encompasses the
economic, legal and ethical expectations of
society from businesses (Carroll, 1979). A
very detailed and critical review of the
evolution of the concept with its varied
dimensions is available in de Bakker et al.
(2005). Whetten et al. (2002) view CSR as
expectations of the stakeholders from
businesses. Another view considers CSR
as an empirical concept that relates to
business ethics, sustainable development,
17
18
Methodology
The study is based on primary data
collected using structured questionnaires
and focus group interviews / discussions
carried out in 2009. Data collection was
confined to Gaborone, the capital city of
Botswana and Mochudi, one of the largest
villages on the outskirts of Gaborone. A
two stage sampling procedure was adopted
to collect the necessary data concerning
the perspectives of the beneficiaries and
stakeholders. The first stage is constituted
by
the
major
grant
managing
institutions/voluntary organizations in the
country such as Stepping Stones,
University of Botswana, SOS Childrens
Village, F.G. Mogae Scholarship Fund,
Somarelang Tikologo, The Backyard
Garden Initiative, and Charity Begins at
Work.
The next stage consists of
individual beneficiaries. A list of
beneficiaries was collected from the above
mentioned grand managing institutions
and 25 percent of the beneficiaries that
work out to 94 were selected at random for
data collection. The beneficiaries consisted
mainly of orphans and other vulnerable
students, University graduates, University
students, primary and secondary school
students, and HIV patients. The 94
respondents were selected on the basis of
their proportion in the population of the
study. Separate questionnaires were
administered
for
grant
managing
institutions and beneficiaries as the role of
these actors are different in the execution
of CSR.
Discussion
All the grant managing
regularly receive funds from
and corporate institutions,
quantum of funds received
institutions
commercial
though the
vary from
19
Plough-back to
communities
For
Competitive
advantage in
the market
For Social
Change
Reputation
Damage
Control
Local
Economic
Development
1
38
(40.4)
34
(36.2)
2
55
(58.5)
43
(45.7)
42
(44.7)
73
(77.7)
33
(35.1)
5
1
(1.1)
9
(9.6)
Total
94
8
(8.5)
41
(43.6)
19
(20.2)
11
(11.7)
-
94
2
(2.1)
94
25
(26.6)
15
(16.0)
15
(16.0)
6
(6.4)
94
94
20
No Opinion
12
(12.8)
10
(10.6)
25
(26.6)
15
(16)
57
(60.6)
69
(73.4)
43
(45.7)
25
(26.6)
5
(5.3)
21
(22.3)
8
(8.5)
14
(14.9)
72
(76.6)
15
(16)
79
(84)
78
(83)
16
(17)
21
Conclusion
The present study made an attempt to
analyse the role grant managing
institutions play in delivering CSR and to
measure the perspectives of the
beneficiaries with respect to CSR. It has
been pointed out that Botswana is a
country characterised by low levels of
industrialization and hence low intensity of
CSR practices by firms. The NGOs that
act as the intermediaries between the
actual beneficiaries and the businesses are
often inexperienced and do not possess
adequate skills or capacity to deliver the
goods. The beneficiaries though have a
perspective that is positive on the CSR of
firms, still nurture a predominantly
negative impression about the motive of
CSR. A clear reading of these indicates
that there is a lack of coordination and
networking between the fund granting
businesses, fund managing institutions and
the beneficiaries. A fuller appreciation of
CSR in the Botswana context is made
possible only by developing strong
networks between these three actors. The
literature in the area of CSR is not very
eloquent on this aspect. Hence the major,
though modest contribution of this study
is the realization that further studies on
these lines are required to have a fuller
understanding of the impact of CSR.
References
Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S. and
Robinson, J. (2003) An African Success
Story: Botswana. In Rodrik, D. Ed. In
Search of Prosperity: Analytic Narratives
in Economic Growth, Princeton: Princeton
University Press.
22
Suggested citation
Nair, D. (2014) Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Development in Botswana:
An Analysis of the Perspectives of the Beneficiaries. In Rooney, R. ed. The Botswana Media
Studies Papers. Gaborone, Department of Media Studies, University of Botswana.
23
Abstract
This paper proposes that there is a correlation which exists when it comes to media literacy
democracy and development. The paper makes a case for media literacy for all and not just
high school children but all sectors of society through cooperation with various nongovernmental organisations in the field.
The paper starts off by tracing the history of Malawi under the rule of the dictatorship of
president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda and the various legal constraints that still exist in Malawi
despite being a democratic state and shows that it is the norm in African countries for media
personnel to suffer persecution for their views.
Key words: Malawi, media literacy, Habermas, public sphere
with democracy and the creation of a
public sphere.
When African countries democratized
they were more focused on educating
people on what democracy was but how
can you have democracy with an ignorant
public? We had gender activist taking their
agenda to the masses and advocating for
the rights of women of course in some
instance where this was not communicated
adequately most women thought that it
meant that they could talk back to their
husbands and refuse them sex and house
chores. This was what I would call
miscommunication on the part of gender
activists and some today are trying to right
this wrong.
We go to Malawi my country where it
was totally no press freedom. What is
press freedom? It means journalists must
Introduction
When African countries underwent the
second wave of democracy in the late
1990s, one area was ignored: that of
media literacy. The second wave of
democracy consisted of getting rid of
dictators such as Hastings Kamuzu Banda
in Malawi. The new political parties
decided to ignore public media literacy and
perpetuated the system of keeping the
masses ignorant of their performance. We
cannot blame them as they inherited the
British system of government where the
native was not part of the target audience
for media but was kept out of it due to
issues of literacy and ability to speak the
Queens language, English. But this is
2013, the dawn of a new era and we cannot
ignore the juxtaposition of media literacy
24
25
For
Frankfurt
School
theorists,
individuality was important for the
development of individual ideas and
thoughts. The cultural industry which had
been corrupted by capitalism defined the
way that people were to think of the world
thereby leading to conformity rather than
critical thought (Bennett, 1982:43).
Through this homogeneity, social authority
was maintained. Habermas argued along
the Frankfurt School lines. He noted that
the public sphere declined when the media;
newspapers and magazines gradually
achieved mass circulation and became
linked
to
capitalist
corporations
(Finlayson, 2005:13; Calhoun, 1992:21).
This led to re-feudalization as the media
fell under the control of advertising, big
corporations
and
politics
(Curran,
2002:33-34). In this respect the media now
operated in the private interests of a few
individuals. Public opinion now lay in the
hands of the elite who could manipulate it
to their preference (Kellner, 2001). The
media promoted a culture of passive
consumption thereby brainwashing the
masses by directing their focus to less
important things such as lifestyle as
compared to critical issues such as
corruption and social ills. The public
sphere was transformed from a sphere of
rational debate into one of manipulative
consumption and passivity leading to
citizens becoming spectators of media
presentations (Kellner, 2001).
Criticisms of the Public Sphere
Although the concept of the public sphere
has helped develop a model of public
debate and civil society, there are a
number of criticisms of the concept.
Garnham
(1996:360)
and
Fraser
(1992:115) note that Habermas idealizes
the bourgeois public sphere. Both authors
agree that Habermas ignored the other
public spheres that existed and focused on
26
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30
31
32
33
34
35
36
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References
Baker, C. (2003) Cultural Studies: Theory
and Practice. 2nd Edition. London: Sage
Berger, G. (2001) Media and
Democracy in Southern Africa. A Southern
View. In: Mukela. J. ed. Essays and
Conversations
on
Democracy.
Mozambique: NSJ Trust.
Chimombo, S. and Chimombo, M.
(1996) The Culture of Democracy:
Language, Literature, the Arts and Politics
in Malawi 1992-94. Zomba, Malawi:
WASI Publications.
Forster, P. (2001) Law and Society
under a Democratic Dictatorship: Dr.
Banda and Malawi. Journal of Asian and
African Studies. Vol. 36(3):275-293.
Available:
http://jas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract
/36/3/275. [accessed 6November, 2008]
Gurevitch, M, Bennett, T. Curran, J.
and Woollacott, J. eds. Culture, Society
and the Media. London: Methuen.
Curran, J. (2002) Media and Power.
London: Routledge.
38
39
Available:
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%
20Journals/pdfs/africa%20media%20revie
w/vol8no3/jamr008003002.pdf. [accessed
04 September, 2008]
Ogbondah, C. W. (2002) Media Laws
in Political Transition. In: Hyden, G.,
Leslie, M. and Ogundimu, F. F. eds. Media
and Democracy in Africa, New
Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
Short, P. (1974) Banda. London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Suggested citation
Kakhobwe, P. (2014) The Juxtaposition Between Media Literacy and Democracy. In
Rooney, R. ed. The Botswana Media Studies Papers. Gaborone, Department of Media
Studies, University of Botswana.
40
Abstract
The task of filming dance successfully is incredibly difficult to achieve since dance is an
ephemeral art, therefore it eludes documentation. Choreographers always imagine the dance
moves in their heads before realising the moves on stage. Collaboration with a filmmaker
presents an opportunity to create a new art form which can be wholly independent of the
original. Using my film The Wandering Souls of Mendi as a case study, this paper explores
some of the technical and philosophical aspects of documenting dance. The study examines
the relationship between the choreographer and the filmmaker and how they can work
together to produce a successful dance film. At the center of the collaborative relationship is
the camera. The camera serves as a very important tool in the making of a dance film.
Key words: dance, camera, film, choreography, Mendi
Introduction
The task of filming dance successfully is
incredibly difficult to achieve since dance
is an ephemeral art, therefore it eludes
documentation. Choreographers always
imagine the dance moves in their heads
before realising the moves on stage.
Collaboration with a filmmaker presents
an opportunity to create a new art form
which can be wholly independent of the
original. Born to a choreographer, I was
introduced to the art of dance at an early
age. I came to love and appreciate the
beauty of a live dance performance. The
introduction of film technology introduced
me to the art of dance on screen. Films,
like Birth of a Nation (1915), Save the last
dance, (2001) Chicago, (2002), Ipi
Ntombi, (1998), Sarafina, (1992), etc.,
41
42
Polycentrism
Polycentrism, allows for both slow and
fast movements to happen within the same
frame (1990:74). Rani incorporates a
combination of movements into his
choreography. Some consist of fast
undulating hip movement accompanied by
rather slow foot and arm movements,
43
Curvilinear movement
Curvilinear movement is concerned with
structure, pattern and form (Ibid: 75).
Ranis choreography consists of small
groupings of dancers forming circular
patterns and shapes on stage. At times the
dancers body movements swing in
circular articulated motions. The circle in
the African culture is a symbol of unity
and power. It is not to be broken (Richards
1994: 64).
Repetition
This is the intensification of one
movement, one sequence, or entire dance
by repeating it (Ibid: 79). This is another
unifying aspect of African dance.
Repetition, to my mind, contributes a great
deal to the rhythm of the dance. Rani
incorporates the call and response notion
that results in a lot of movements being
repeated. It emerges as rhythmic dialogue
between the dancers. When a dancer on
stage makes a gesture, the other dancers
imitate the gesture, at times one group of
dancers leading in the imitation process.
This interactive movement conversation
intensifies as the dance accelerates towards
the end, psychologically integrating the
audience within the performance and
moving with it to a level of ecstasy.
Dimensionality
Asante asserts that texture is an important
aspect of depth in African culture. This
texture, she argues, is provoked by the
supernatural presence of oral tradition in
space. She believes that this presence
beyond the visual presence (Asante 1990:
77) adds an extra contraction to African
dance. As aforementioned, oral tradition
forms part of The Wandering Souls Of
Mendi. The story about the death dance as
oral history has contributed a great deal to
the creation of the piece. Throughout the
rehearsal process Rani told the story
repeatedly to the dancers.
Holistic movement
Parts of a creation are not emphasized or
accentuated beyond the whole, neither is
the individual (Ibid: 80). During the
rehearsals, Rani emphasized the point that
there would be no lead dancer in the piece.
He reminded the dancers that this is a
group effort to tell the story of unity. He
was echoing John Mbitis (1970) words
when he explained that the philosophical
thinking of African people does not place
emphasis on the individual. Existence in
the African tradition is a collective effort.
I am because we are, and because we are,
therefore I am (Nobles 1972: 303). The
holistic aspect sums up all the seven
aesthetics. In The Wandering Souls of
Mendi, the individual dancers formed a
part of one body, their movements
synthesized into harmony to tell the story
of solidarity.
Memory
Perfection cannot be achieved unless it is
drawn from experience or memory. (Ibid:
79). From the beginning Rani asserted that
he would present the story in an abstract
manner,
creating
an
impressionist
representation of the story. The
choreographic
movements
of
The
Wandering Souls of Mendi were
influenced by other movements from other
performances that Rani had watched and,
drawing upon those experiences, he was
able to unearth the emotions without
limiting himself or the audience. His
choice concurs with Asantes point that it
44
Collaboration
As aforementioned this paper examines
possible relationships between dance and
film. This relationship may only be
achieved through the process of
collaboration. The filmmaker and the
choreographer have to share ideas and
resources to achieve their common goal,
i.e. the making of a dance film.
Examined as aesthetic media, film uses
manipulation of space and time to create
an illusion of movement. Cited in
Sambucci, Maya Deren, in a letter she
wrote to James Card, says the dynamic of
movement in film is stronger than
anything else... I mean that movement, or
energy is more important or powerful than
space... The movement of the dancer
creates geography, in the film, that never
was. With a turn of the foot, he makes
neighbours of distant places (1999: 3).
Deren was justifying the choices she made
whereby a dancer in her film A Study in
Choreography for Camera (1945) moves
through different geographical spaces
without ever interfering with the flow of
movement. Thus creating an illusion of
space and passage of time.
Unlike film, dance is primarily a nonverbal art in which ideas are
communicated through the movement of
bodies in space in real time. It is
45
46
47
Shot selection
When making a dance film there is a
variety of shots to choose from:
Long shot
Using this shot as a master shot, the
camera remains static. It stays focused on
the stage, recording shapes, lines, character
placement, movement and everything that
happens on the stage. This choice may
serve choreography well by capturing the
interesting floor patterns formed by the
dancers. However, despite the clarity of
patterns and forms on stage, it fails to
capture subtle body movements. That can
only be achieved through the employment
of close-up shots.
Medium long shot
This shot provides plenty of room for
action in the frame, presenting an
opportunity to fit every dancer in the
picture at all times. The camera can focus
and zoom in on solo or group acts. Ranis
piece is mostly made up of small
groupings of dancers on stage; this is one
of the elements that influenced the
decision to employ this kind of shot.
Camera placement
Camera placement can have a significant
impact on the composition of the shot as
each angle has a different effect on the
final outcome. In lower angle shots,
characters appear larger than life, whilst on
the other hand a very high angle shot, like
a birds eye view, would make the
characters look small and almost
insignificant. I placed three cameras on
three different parts and levels of the
auditorium, each with a slightly different
angle. One camera was placed in the
balcony, facing down on the stage. From
this angle the patterns on stage were more
discernible as the camera kept the entire
stage in frame at all times, capturing the
action occurring at different distances on
stage in the foreground, middleground and
background. The second camera was
placed on the left hand side of the
auditorium, at eye level, and concentrated
mainly on the action happening on stage
right. This is from the point of the view of
the audience. The third, hand held camera,
Close up shots
Throughout the rehearsal process, Rani
constantly reminded the dancers that this
piece is all about unity, there is no lone
dancer. There is a notion that some African
cultures have about dancing. They believe
that when the art of dance was created it
was done in a communal sense for the
community by the members of the
community as one body, one voice, and
one soul. It is collective and binding.
Through the usage of close up shots of the
dancers body parts, I am able to create a
sense of oneness. A close up shot of one
dancers leg movement is being completed
by another dancers arm movement,
48
Lighting
Lighting up dark-skinned people has
always been problematic as their skin tone
contrasts with the light itself. Faces
become almost invisible against strongly
lit or white backgrounds. Light skin tones
appear
burned out
against
dark
backgrounds. Filming performers with
varying skin tones at the same time is an
added
challenge.
Therefore
prior
arrangements and planning with the
lighting designer is important and should
be taken into consideration. I was not able
to meet with the lighting designer in
advance. The fact that the lighting in the
film was not greatly affected is just a
happy accident that I managed to get
away with.
Movement
Busby Berkeley one of Hollywoods early
film directors and choreographers who
seldom moved the camera when filming
dance. He was more concerned with the
patterns formed on stage. In 1932 he
invented a top shot technique, which, like
the name suggests, meant that it was shot
from above. Fred Astaire, a dancer and
choreographer in his own on right, on the
other hand declared that either the camera
will dance or I will (quoted in Mitoma
2003: 221). Evan E. Siebens asserts that
the difference between these two
viewpoints sums up one of the challenges
facing a dance filmmaker: whether and
when to move the camera (Ibid: 221).
Margaret Williamss point that a dance
film is primarily concerned with
movement. In silent films movement and
gesture were the driving force (2003: 214)
49
50
Conclusion
In an interview Dr Shirlene Holmes asserts
that technology is here to stay, and if the
artists do not accept technology then they
are missing something. But if they worship
technology and put technology before the
living art, I think we are going to have
problems in the future. I think it makes art
soulless, we lose the live story, we lose the
connection, and we lose humanness
(Interview with the writer, 11 November
2004).
At the end of this study I am left with
more questions than answers. I want to
support the use of technology in dance, but
on the other hand I am left wandering if
the use of film technology is, indeed, to
preserve a live performance or to negate it.
Online references
Barnett, P. (2004) Typical British
Government White Wash. Available from
http://www.nesa.org.uk/html/sinking_of_t
he_ss_mendi__1917_.htm
Accessed
27/10/2004
Hosken, G. (2004) Homage to Mendi
disaster men Pretoria News, an online
edition.
Available
from
http://www.pretorianews.co.za/index.php?f
SectionId=665&fArticleId=373777
Accessed: 27/10/2004.
Ransome, I. (n.d.)This Day in History:
21
February
1917
Available:
http://thisdayinhistory.octoplus.co.za/users
elect.php?Month=February&day=21&Sub
mit=GO# Accessed 27/10/ 2004.
Sambucci, F. (2004) The Real and the
Unreal
available
http://www.algonet.se/~mjsull/real.html
Accessed 27/10/2004.
Wade,
Osiris
(Last
up
date:
unavailable) Channelling Unity Through
Dance
Available
from
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/journ
alism/magazine/bright/current/muntu.html
Accessed: 4/11/2004.
References
Billman,
L.
(1997)
Film
Choreographers and Dance Directors.
North Carolina: McFarland.
Birringer, J. (1998) Media and
Performance:
Along
the
Border.
Baltimore: Johns
Cook, D.A. (1981) A History of
Narrative Film. New York: Norton
Cunningham, M). (1995. In Envisioning
dance on film and video. 2003. Mitoma,
Judy. ed. London: Routledge
Diamond, M. (2003) Watching Dance
With a Remote Control in Your Hand. In:
Mitoma, J. ed. Envisioning dance on film
and video. London: Routledge
Morris, G. (1996) Moving Words: ReWriting Dance. London: Routledge
Nobles, W. (1972) African philosophy:
Foundations for Black Psychology. In:
Jones, R.H.(ed) Black Psychology. New
York: Harper & Row.
51
Performances
Suggested citation
Thagame, T. C. (2014) Capturing the Elusive Art: The Making of a Dance Film. Case study:
The Wandering Souls of Mendi. In Rooney, R. ed. The Botswana Media Studies Papers.
Gaborone, Department of Media Studies, University of Botswana.
52
Abstract
Contrary to the notion that Botswanas independent producers lack the professional skills to
generate local television content, lack of finance is arguably the main challenge that
continues to bedevil the producers. This paper reveals that Btv continues to make attempts to
empower the independent producers through licensing of existing intellectual properties but
that it lacks the necessary and transparent guidelines to acquire television content. Part of the
challenge is exacerbated by governments unwillingness to budget for local content produced
by independent producers, preferring to buy international content as well as having
government departments and Ministries generate local content.
Key words: generic schedule, in-house productions, independent producers, local content,
local content quotas, mandate-driven content
Introduction
Botswanas
Independent
television
Producers have failed to make a mark in
the international motion pictures arena
despite the launch of the Botswana
Television (Btv) in 2000. Perhaps very
little is known about the major obstacles
that impede the development of the
industry apart from negative perceptions
that local Independent Producers produce
substandard programmes. (Probe Market
Intelligence 2009: 11) This paper sets to
establish how Btv empowers independent
producers to generate local TV content.
The author who, is a media practitioner
interviews industry professionals, analyzes
the generic and transmission schedules of
Btv as well as giving commentary on the
state of the industry, its causes and
possible remedies.
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55
TV landscape in Botswana
At its inception on July 30, 2000, Btv was
to be launched as a public broadcaster.
Many of its obligations have not been met
due to several reasons, among them, a lack
of a regulatory body to enforce the
implementation of the overarching
responsibilities of a true public
broadcaster. Government had an upper
hand in deciding the programming
activities of the broadcaster. Between 2000
and 2004, local producers negotiated with
Moolji
Parshotham,
the
one-man
Procurement Office to licence their local
content, who at the time was doing the
general housekeeping (Mosime 2007:
153). Through the process, a few
documentaries were licensed. Some
independent producers started complaining
about local content acquisition procedures,
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57
Budgets
Annual programming budgets stood at
P19million since 2000 of which
P7.3million was allocated to international
content (Interview Bothongo 2012).
Kokorwe (Panel discussion, 2005) argues
that a lot of money is returned to
government at the end of each financial
year while the independent producers
suffer.
Government institutions spend an
estimated P2million per season each on
TV programming. Btv runs 18 local
content programmes each with at least 52
episodes. Of these, five come from other
government departments that have
television production facilities, while six
come from the independent producers
through various acquisition models. The
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Suggested citation
Ditlhokwa, B. G. (2014) The Dilemma of Local Content: the Case of Botswana Television
(Btv). In Rooney, R. ed. The Botswana Media Studies Papers. Gaborone, Department of
Media Studies, University of Botswana.
65