Banana Club redefines a moment for Botswana’s creative renaissance
Under the vaulted ceilings of Shepstone Gardens, among a kaleidoscope of artistic voices from across the continent, one booth stood still in its intimacy and then, stood out. Banana Club, a curatorial platform rooted in Gaborone, Botswana, made its debut at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2025 with a solo presentation that resonated so deeply it sold out completely before the final day.
The exhibit featured miniature oil paintings by Katlego Twala, the current artist-in-residence at the Banana Club Artist Fund. Quiet in scale but immense in feeling, Twala’s works explored the delicate and unspoken emotions between mother and son in a contemporary Botswana home. Rendered in classical realism, each piece flickered like a frozen moment, tender, fragile, and achingly honest.
“This moment was more than a commercial success. It was a landmark for Botswana’s contemporary art ecosystem. It affirmed the urgency of creating space for artists like Katlego, whose work challenges, softens, and invites,” said Banana Club Founder and Curator, Tanlume Enyatseng.
Twala’s presentation felt both personal and universally profound. Painted in the stillness of photographic realism, the works captured those fleeting, wordless moments that define relationships: a glance, a touch, a silence. Visitors were pulled into a contemplative space, one where care, masculinity, and memory were not statements but questions, gently laid before them.
“The experience was eye-opening. I had the chance to share the stories behind my work with a diverse audience, sparking meaningful dialogue. I believe many people left with a deeper sense of introspection,” reflected Twala.
Beyond collector acclaim, the fair served as a creative pulse-check for the continent, and Botswana’s beat was strong. Banana Club’s breakthrough moment is no anomaly; it’s part of a powerful groundswell. The collective has, in recent years, emerged as one of Botswana’s most fearless artistic voices, prioritizing inclusivity, critical discourse, and the nurturing of visual culture in underserved communities.
Through its Artist Fund, Banana Club offers residencies, mentorships, and exhibitions, scaffolding that has proven transformative for many early-career artists.
In alignment with the Banana Club success, RMB Botswana has deepened its commitment to supporting the arts, spearheading Botswana’s first national focus at RMB Latitudes 2025.
This bold step was inaugurated with a one-night-only exhibition in Gaborone, featuring a curated walkthrough by Ora Loapi’s Lerato Motshwarakgole, alongside art investment talks and creative showcases, all designed to reframe how pplayers experience and invest in art.
For Harriet Mlalazi, Director at RMB Botswana, the event was more than just an exhibition: “It was a turning point for Botswana’s place in the global arts ecosystem. Supporting the arts is both a duty and an investment in our cultural equity and future.”
Banana Club was not alone in Johannesburg this year. The Botswana showcase at RMB Latitudes 2025 brought together an ecosystem of visionary curators and collectives, including Ora Loapi, a Gaborone-based curatorial and archival initiative recovering Botswana’s visual histories.
It also featured TBP Artist Collective, a multidisciplinary group working through Selemela, the Pleiades constellation, as a metaphor for collective creativity and cultural harvest. ReCurate, a conceptual agency exploring liminality, transition, and the tensions of postcolonial identity as well as The Space Botswana, an artist hub based in Maun, fusing community dialogue with spatial experimentation were also part of the art extravaganza.
Together, they echoed the fair’s theme of Co-Production, the powerful idea that cultural futures are shaped not by individual genius alone, but by shared voices, reciprocal learning, and radical collaboration.
As part of the International Galleries Platform, Botswana’s artists are finally being offered equitable access to global stages, access that had previously been hindered by cost and logistical barriers. The result then became a more inclusive, layered, and representative African art economy.
Banana Club’s solo sell-out is not just a feather in one artist’s cap. It’s a testament to what is possible when vision meets infrastructure, when talent is supported with intention, and when institutions dare to believe in homegrown excellence.
Under the vaulted ceilings of Shepstone Gardens, among a kaleidoscope of artistic voices from across the continent, one booth stood still in its intimacy and then, stood out. Banana Club, a curatorial platform rooted in Gaborone, Botswana, made its debut at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2025 with a solo presentation that resonated so deeply it sold out completely before the final day.
The exhibit featured miniature oil paintings by Katlego Twala, the current artist-in-residence at the Banana Club Artist Fund. Quiet in scale but immense in feeling, Twala’s works explored the delicate and unspoken emotions between mother and son in a contemporary Botswana home. Rendered in classical realism, each piece flickered like a frozen moment, tender, fragile, and achingly honest.
“This moment was more than a commercial success. It was a landmark for Botswana’s contemporary art ecosystem. It affirmed the urgency of creating space for artists like Katlego, whose work challenges, softens, and invites,” said Banana Club Founder and Curator, Tanlume Enyatseng.
Twala’s presentation felt both personal and universally profound. Painted in the stillness of photographic realism, the works captured those fleeting, wordless moments that define relationships: a glance, a touch, a silence. Visitors were pulled into a contemplative space, one where care, masculinity, and memory were not statements but questions, gently laid before them.
“The experience was eye-opening. I had the chance to share the stories behind my work with a diverse audience, sparking meaningful dialogue. I believe many people left with a deeper sense of introspection,” reflected Twala.
Beyond collector acclaim, the fair served as a creative pulse-check for the continent, and Botswana’s beat was strong. Banana Club’s breakthrough moment is no anomaly; it’s part of a powerful groundswell. The collective has, in recent years, emerged as one of Botswana’s most fearless artistic voices, prioritizing inclusivity, critical discourse, and the nurturing of visual culture in underserved communities.
Through its Artist Fund, Banana Club offers residencies, mentorships, and exhibitions, scaffolding that has proven transformative for many early-career artists.
In alignment with the Banana Club success, RMB Botswana has deepened its commitment to supporting the arts, spearheading Botswana’s first national focus at RMB Latitudes 2025.
This bold step was inaugurated with a one-night-only exhibition in Gaborone, featuring a curated walkthrough by Ora Loapi’s Lerato Motshwarakgole, alongside art investment talks and creative showcases, all designed to reframe how pplayers experience and invest in art.
For Harriet Mlalazi, Director at RMB Botswana, the event was more than just an exhibition: “It was a turning point for Botswana’s place in the global arts ecosystem. Supporting the arts is both a duty and an investment in our cultural equity and future.”
Banana Club was not alone in Johannesburg this year. The Botswana showcase at RMB Latitudes 2025 brought together an ecosystem of visionary curators and collectives, including Ora Loapi, a Gaborone-based curatorial and archival initiative recovering Botswana’s visual histories.
It also featured TBP Artist Collective, a multidisciplinary group working through Selemela, the Pleiades constellation, as a metaphor for collective creativity and cultural harvest. ReCurate, a conceptual agency exploring liminality, transition, and the tensions of postcolonial identity as well as The Space Botswana, an artist hub based in Maun, fusing community dialogue with spatial experimentation were also part of the art extravaganza.
Together, they echoed the fair’s theme of Co-Production, the powerful idea that cultural futures are shaped not by individual genius alone, but by shared voices, reciprocal learning, and radical collaboration.
As part of the International Galleries Platform, Botswana’s artists are finally being offered equitable access to global stages, access that had previously been hindered by cost and logistical barriers. The result then became a more inclusive, layered, and representative African art economy.
Banana Club’s solo sell-out is not just a feather in one artist’s cap. It’s a testament to what is possible when vision meets infrastructure, when talent is supported with intention, and when institutions dare to believe in homegrown excellence.
