26 Mar 2019

Societies have been urged to take a lead in ensuring that their culture and language are preserved. 

Officiating at Tutume brigade cultural day recently, Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) former chief executive officer,  Edison Woto said every tribal groups should be doing their part in practicing cultural activities and protecting their culture. 

Woto said Batswana in general were decrying that their culture was diminishing adding that the western culture was taking over the lives of many people.

While government was making efforts for Batswana to maintain their culture, he said some were reluctant to preserve their cultural practices. 

As such, he called on Batswana to introspect and find ways of trying to maintain their old ways of living. 

He said it was rare for some Batswana to speak their own language fluently without mixing it with other languages.

That, he said he had destroyed local languages. 

He therefore appealed to the leadership and community elders to take a lead in becoming custodian of culture within their communities. 

Meanwhile, Kgosi Alphonse Nsala of Tutume said many ways of living had changed, among others, children’s upbringing. 

In the past, he said  parents instilled Botho and respect in the upbringing of children. 

Therefore, Kgosi Nsala therefore called on Batswana to retrace their steps, though he said it would be difficult to avoid changes in some cultural practices as Batswana had mixed with other people from across the world. ENDS