Shakespeare’s legacy remembered 400 years on
The British High Commission and British Council in conjunction with some partners in Botswana plan to deliver exciting “Shakespeare o a tshela” activities in the run up to the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death this year.
‘Shakespeare Lives’ is a global project that celebrates the relevance of Shakespeare’s work 400 years after his death. The themes of his work - love, revenge, betrayal, power, greed, good and evil - are all relevant to every human being on earth in 2016. Shakespeare’s work holds up a mirror to the human condition and allows us to empathise with our fellow men. In the difficult and dangerous times we live in, there is probably no more important human quality than empathy.
Project director Alastai Hagger, explained that they’d deliver the Shakespeare programme through performances, workshops, education and digital arts. ‘Shakespeare o a Tshela’ aims to expose new audiences in Botswana to Shakespeare’s legacy and provide educators with new tools to teach his work.
He noted that it also seeks to strengthen the understanding of Shakespeare in schools and how his work can be used to promote literacy and reading, as well as to share British methodologies, knowledge and expertise in the teaching of creative disciplines. “No writer has ever explored the human condition with as much depth and compassion as Shakespeare. Every one of us can learn from him”, he said.
Hagger is hopeful that ‘Shakespeare o a Tshela’ will inspire a love for the power and possibility of language in students and arts practitioners in Botswana. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Thapelo Olopeng commended the great campaign for fostering cultural relations with one of Britain’s greatest literary exports.
The partners include Maru-a-Pula School and Maitisong, and valued sponsors and partners New Capitol Cinemas, Printing & Publishing Company Botswana, Gabz FM, Shakespeare’s Globe, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, AFDA, ShakeXperience and the University of Botswana.