Own Correspondent
27th November 2025
In an effort to honour layered narratives and safeguard creative legacies, AgaMotse Centre presented ‘Salvaged Works: The Art of Topo ‘Jimmy’ Molefhe,’ a retrospective exhibition celebrating the life labour and artistic work of Former Botswana Ambassador Topo ‘Jimmy’ Molefhe(1927 – 2010).
The unique exhibition held 15 years after his demise, reflects the quiet legacy of a father figure and extinguished diplomat, who created fascinating art work steadily and privately across decades, leaving behind a body of work that speaks with its own clarity and integrity.
“At the AgaMotse Centre, we are creating a place of remembrance, preservation and celebration of Art and History and Literature to support the sharing of knowledge – a safe place for dialogue and shared learning. We believe that “no single story should be told as though it were the only one,” said Wame Molefhe, AgaMotse Curator and the daughter of the artistic work.
She said, “This exhibition assembles 18 surviving works, including paintings and miniatures copper sculptures, created between the 1950’s and 2007. Many of these pieces have been carefully preserved within his family, as Molefhe chose not to exhibit his work publicly during his lifetime. Bringing them together now offers an intimate encounter with a deeply private artistic journey and the materials, ideas, and sensibilities.”
At the heart of AgaMotse’s existence is the excavation, preservation and celebration of lived narratives that might otherwise be lost. This exhibition is an extension of that mission.
“Art is the father of Science. I know it challenges the common view of the two fields as separate or opposing. Human qualities central to Art – such as imagination, creativity and keen observation – those are essential predecessors and drivers of scientific inquiry and discovery. This is because science is a form of creation. Science is to understand the world and create within the world,” said Galefele Molema – Art Director, Curator and Museologist whose work bridges communication design, museum curation and cultural research across Africa.
He said, “Molefhe was developing and preserving a nation’s cultural and visual identity, long before most Batswana. His work has to be recognized and promoted because it is a significant contribution to arts and culture by a son of the soil.”
Exhibition which is housed in Partial residential area runs from 30th November to 7th December 2025.
