Bachman🍥

This is why I struggle with BTV There is a serious lack of imagination in our programming and content production. We keep showing a very limited and often redundant version of Botswana, as if our society consists only of dysfunction, incompetence, poverty and chaos. We are much bigger than that. The economy is not sustained by a handful of industries alone. Entertainment, television, radio and the broader creative sector also contribute to the economy and, perhaps more importantly, contribute to the country’s image, identity and cultural influence. Every programme is an opportunity to showcase Botswana to Batswana and to the outside world. What concerns me is the constant portrayal of our people as dysfunctional, incompetent and chaotic. There is nothing wrong with telling difficult stories, but when those become the dominant representation of a country, we risk creating harmful stereotypes about our own communities. Our producers need to be more ambitious. Show our businesses. Show our professionals. Show our creativity, humour, innovation, families, aspirations, successes and contradictions. Tell stories that challenge us without constantly degrading us. Television should not merely reflect society, it has to shape how society sees itself. We need Botswana content that reflects the full Botswana, not just the most dysfunctional version of it.