10 Feb 2019

Kgosi Bathoen II Memorial Museum curator, Onkgopotse Pule has commended Batswana for visiting the museum in numbers to learn history.

In an interview, Pule said Bangwaketse’s interest, passion and love for their culture was worth applauding, as they did not only tour the museum, but some have been able to give information regarding the rich history of their culture, heritage and historic sites.

The museum was named after Kgosi Bathoen II, affectionately known as B2, by the community fond of his visionary leadership.

She explained that different age groups who often visited the museum ranged from students to tourists, adding that recently a group of young Batswana living in Italy visited the museum to learn more about the history of Bangwaketse.

In a week, she said they could host about 10 to 20 people, especially during the festive season.

She however admitted that the museum had not developed to expectation due to lack of funds, which had hindered them from constructing a display hall to store their artefacts.

She also said lack of funds had made it difficult to maintain the museum building which had worn out.

Nonetheless, Pule commended the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development for their support and called on other stakeholders to come on board.

She encouraged Batswana to visit the museum in large numbers to be informed as well as donate historical, cultural and agricultural items.

Kgosi Bathoen II Memorial Museum started operating from an old church building which was a London Missionary Society (LMS) church before relocating to the old district commissioner’s building where it is currently operating and was officially opened in 1998.

The museum offers services such as tours, bureau of information, educational outreach, has heritage sites such as the old cemetery, Bathoen II Dam, silos, Mmamokhasi Dam and historic sites such as the Kgwakgwe Hill, Pharing Gorge, among others. ENDS