A young Motswana has set up Centre for Content Creation (CCC), a branch of the highly specialised multimedia development unit and professional arm of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) in Malaysia. CCC Botswana was established by Kefentse Masimolole, alumni of LUCT Malaysia who studied Mass Communications and Multi-media. The company is structured into several departments: Print/Advertising, Branding, Web Development, Film & TV, and Animation to name a few. Each of the units is supported by a team that specialises in their chosen expertise.

In an interview with Business Gazette, Masimolole revealed that CCC is run by a dedicated team of professionals. “Between them, they command solid industry experience and it is their passion and artistic flair that is vividly reflected in the extraordinary works CCC Botswana has produced in the short time it has been in operation. Innovation is the synergy that fuels the creativity of every individual at the centre from conceptualisation to design stage to market implementation,” said Masimolole.

It is hoped that the combination of Limkokwing University and Centre for Content Creation will change the design landscape and enhance the region’s competitiveness in the global market. As the saying goes that ‘an apple does not fall far from the tree’, Masimolole utilised the opportunity to collaborate with LUCT as it sets up the Botswana division of CCC making it the first of its kind in Africa. CCC is the vision of Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Lim Kok Wing, the founder and president of both Limkokwing and Centre for Content Creation - fusing academic excellence with industry innovation. The CCC philosophy is to assign students to work with major companies and the public sector, while still studying.

The former beneficiary of KBL’s Kickstart programme, Masimolole, highlighted that in a sophisticated industry like the multimedia, the greatest asset is the creative mind – the source of ideas and dreams. Passion, dedication to transform and animate the ideas into realities for the benefit of the industry and nation are also essential, he said. Although the multimedia industry in Botswana is still small, Masimolole says it still has to realise its full potential in terms of appreciation when it comes to remuneration as well as creative freedom compared to other countries like South Africa. “Obviously the market there is bigger but I believe that we can match if not do better than what they have talent wise.

There is an amazing amount of talent here in Botswana just waiting to be fully utilised, but there is only so much that the local market can accommodate,” he said, adding that, “We should also strive to look into servicing the international market as opposed to just focusing on the local market though we need to use the right platform. Our government is trying hard to move away from our reliance on diamonds as a primary source of revenue and instead diversify by building the human resource capital.” While noting that CCC Botswana is well positioned to take the multimedia industry to the next level, Masimolole also appreciates that changing people’s attitudes and mind-sets towards something new remains a challenge. He, however, believes with time people will come out of their comfort zones and look into new ways of seeing and doing things as creativity and innovation.