GABORONE, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Botswana held its first national virtual arts and crafts exhibition here on Tuesday in a bid to prop its creative sector, which has been hit hard since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This marks an opportunity for people worldwide to appreciate and experience Botswana culture through the use and manipulation of information technology, which if effectively used will support artists and the buying of their products," said Bruno Paledi, deputy permanent secretary in Botswana's Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development.
The government has adopted an initiative to encourage local businesses and individuals to adopt e-marketing for their products, goods and services, said Paledi.
More should be done to advance efforts to assist the artists during this difficult time, and so far the ministry has helped 11,305 artists with a total of 17.08 million pula (about 1.56 million U.S. dollars) towards COVID-19 relief, the official said.
The artworks on display have been collected from various producers around the country, including basketry, pottery, painting, photos and others.
The exhibition is expected to run until the end of February 2021.
