Art of Botswana
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The visual art of Botswana'' has varied among the different ethnic groups and throughout history. Historically it has fallen into two main categories: that of the
San people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...
s (also known as the
Bushmen The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...
) and that of the
Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...
-derived peoples such as the
Batswana The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the popu ...
...


San art

The first is of greater antiquity in origin and includes the decoration of many of the devices and equipment the San needed for desert existence. Items such as
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are ...
shells, clay water filters, animal skins, arrows, bows and pots often received added decoration by way of incised or relief decoration, imprinted pottery decoration, beading and carving. These tribes also carved art objects that had no other function, most often animals. More ancient art is that of
San rock art The San, or Bushmen, are indigenous people in Southern Africa particularly in what is now South Africa and Botswana. Their ancient rock paintings and carvings (collectively called rock art) are found in caves and on rock shelters. The artwork depi ...
, for which the San are justifiably famous: right across the South-East African region their ancestors left dynamic paintings on rock faces and cave walls, executed in unknown and highly resilient pigments that have lasted millennia. Depictions of animals, hunts, ceremonies and dances are common. The
Tsodilo The Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), consisting of rock art, rock shelters, depressions, and caves in southern Africa. It gained its WHS listing in 2001 because of its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peo ...
Hills in Botswana were recognised as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 2001, containing some 4,500 rock paintings in total; not all the art covered by this designation is by San people or their ancestors. Most paintings may be from the last 1000 or 2000 years, although much older dates are sometimes claimed. It is difficult to date most paintings; often
radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...
methods can be used for materials on the floor of a shelter, but these may not relate to the dates of the art.


Bantu art

Tswana and other Bantu peoples' art is more similar to that of Bantu peoples in the rest of southeastern Africa. Sophisticated
carvings Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
of stone and wood (usually of animals or people), sculptures and pottery; 'township' art made of disca instruments, carved walking sticks, knobkerries and many other art forms. One art that is particularly developed in Botswana is the preparation and marketing of hides and furs that have been stitched together, often combined in decorative panels using the different fur types and colours from different animals. These can have a definite use as well, being derived originally from the '
kaross A kaross is a cloak made of sheepskin, or the hide of other animals, with the hair left on. It is properly confined to the coat of skin without sleeves and used to be worn by the Khoikhoi and Bushmen / San peoples of South Africa. These karosses b ...
' or desert blanket suited to the very cold conditions of the Kalahari at night and in winter. Woollen and crocheted blankets in local patterns are also popular.
Basket weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
is also carried out to a high level of skill and variation. There is a great deal of overlap between the two groups' artwork: for example the wire, ironwork and beads used in San items would have been obtained by trade from Bantu peoples, who themselves would have obtained some of their raw art material such as skins and animal horns from the San.


Modern art

These days the art industry thrives in the production of items for tourist consumption. The Okavango swamp, some parts of the Kalahari desert tourist trail and various game reserves all support active local art industries. The major towns also have tourist galleries. Some artists, including white Botswana residents, paint two dimensional pictures of wildlife for the same market, which also includes various items such as T-shirts, hunting knives, shoes and hats. Leather-work is also popular, as are items made from legally culled or utilitarian urban objects such as bottle tops and wire; drums, beading, rattles, musical instruments such as the
mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...
and stringed animals such as elephant hair bracelets. During
Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, South African artists in exile gathered in Botswana under the name Medu Art Ensemble to produce political artwork. The National Art Gallery at the
Botswana National Museum The Botswana National Museum, also known as the National Museum and Art Gallery, is located in the Botswana capital of Gaborone and is a multi-disciplinary institution that includes the National Art Gallery and Octagon Gallery, as well as—since ...
displays traditional and contemporary art.


References

; Sources *Willett, Frank, ''African Art'', Thames & Hudson, World of Art series, 1971, {{Africa topic, Art of