Agora Club Botswana will hold its Art, Pleasure & Leisure Auction on Saturday, 31 October at The Studio at Maitisong Theatre in Gaborone, raising money for urgent repairs to the maternity ward at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital in Ramotswa.
According to The Business Weekly & Review, more than 50 items will go under the hammer, including 22 original paintings by local artists, ceramics, fine wines, a bespoke Chef's Table experience for four, and weekend getaways. Entry costs P200, and participating artists are donating 80 percent of their proceeds to the renovation of the maternity ward's bathrooms.
Why the maternity ward at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital needs help
Bamalete Lutheran Hospital serves Ramotswa and surrounding communities, and its maternity ward has been struggling with facilities that no longer meet the standard its patients deserve. New mothers deserve dignity in the place where they give life, and that principle sits at the heart of this fundraiser. Agora Club Botswana, through its Baobab Club, identified the state of the ward's bathrooms as the most urgent need and chose to act rather than wait for someone else to step in.
This is private initiative doing what it does best: identifying a local need, organising locally, and delivering results without waiting on outside intervention. The club's members, alumni of Ladies' Circle International circles in their 40s together with non-past circle friends, have taken responsibility for a public health problem in their own community.
What is up for auction on 31 October
The auction will turn The Studio at Maitisong Theatre into a bidding floor in the style of Christie's, Sotheby's and Beijing Poly. The 22 paintings come from celebrated Botswana artists, including Ann Gollifer, whose work Mother Tongue forms part of the British Museum's permanent collection. Totang Motoloki, a 2016 Barclays L'Atelier competition nominee and Goo-Tau native, will also feature, alongside wildlife artist Sara Glendinning, Elijah Mwanza, Shirin Ettehad and Tlhlalefo Buka.
The age range of the contributing artists runs from 13 to 85, which speaks to a depth of local talent that deserves our support. Ceramic collectors can bid on sculptures from Art Discovery & Ceramics, Gabane Pottery and Terra Cotta Potteries, alongside local art décor and vintage Chinese pieces.
Organiser Gwen Watkins said the auction welcomes first-time buyers and seasoned collectors alike.
Whether one is looking to start their collector's journey or a seasoned investor, there is something for everyone.
Beyond the art, the lots include fine wines, a Chef's Table experience for four with Rebel Cook, a night or a weekend away, and board games. Bidders can walk away with something for their home while knowing their money stays in Botswana and serves Botswana mothers.
Who is Agora Club Botswana?
Agora Club Botswana is an affiliate of Agora Club International, a network represented in 24 countries. The organisation works alongside Round Table, Tangent Club International and 41 Club International, forming communities that drive positive change from the grassroots. Its members are women from varied professional backgrounds who have moved beyond their Ladies' Circle years but not beyond their commitment to service.
The club's approach is worth noting because it models the kind of self-reliance that strengthens a nation. Rather than launching appeals abroad or waiting on institutional budgets, the club has tapped into Botswana's own artistic community and its own social networks. The money raised on Saturday will be counted in pula, spent in Ramotswa, and visible in the walls and fittings of a ward that serves local families every day.
Supporting local art and local mothers at once
The auction does two jobs at once. It gives Botswana's painters, potters and sculptors a stage and a paying audience, and it directs the proceeds toward mothers giving birth in Ramotswa. That is a sound bargain: private collectors acquire genuine works, artists gain exposure, and a hospital ward gets fixed.
American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, and that it is the only thing that ever has. Agora Club Botswana is putting that principle to the test in the most practical way possible, one bathroom, one bid and one painting at a time.
Those wishing to attend can pay the P200 entry fee and join the bidding on Saturday, 31 October at The Studio at Maitisong Theatre. Some will leave with lighter purses. Ramotswa's mothers will leave the ward with something far more valuable.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the Art, Pleasure & Leisure Auction?
It takes place on Saturday, 31 October at The Studio at Maitisong Theatre in Gaborone, with entry set at P200.
What will the auction proceeds fund?
Proceeds will support urgent repairs to the bathrooms of the maternity ward at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital in Ramotswa, with participating artists donating 80 percent of their sales.
Who can attend the auction?
Anyone, according to organiser Gwen Watkins, from first-time buyers to seasoned collectors.