26 May 2019

 Botswana is part of the global community where culture is dynamic and because change is taking place at a high pace affecting culture and way of life, it is imperative that indigenous culture is preserved.

This was said by the Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development Phillip Makgalemele at the National Culture Day event held at the Palapye main kgotla  recently.

Addressing the theme ‘Culture is my business’, Makgalemele, who is also Member of Parliament for Shoshong said it called on all to take responsibility to safe guard cultural heritage.

He noted that culture included traditional lifestyles, language, dress, food, music and  norms.

He explained that living in the fast-paced and technologically advanced  world required people should be concerned about preserving their culture.

Makgalemele also noted that many aspects and dimensions of indigenous culture were fading away and would disappear if ignored.

“I challenge all of us as Batswana to assist government to identify facets of our cultural heritage with potential to contribute to the growth of the economy and mainstream them into our everyday life without losing their core values,” he said.

Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology Moiseraele Goya who is also MP for Palapye thanked  government for holding the celebrations in Palapye.

He said that though culture was dynamic, it was the backbone of any society and needed to be preserved.

He said dikgosi were working hard to preserve culture and they needed support in the endeavour.

He raised concern that youth were not taking responsibility in preserving culture due to their lifestyles which mimic other cultures.

He was however pleased that they attended the event in high numbers.

Kgosi Masego Olebile also appreciated that the cultural event was held in Palapye.

He said the event which included traditional dance, food, poetry, and narrations of how Palapye came about as well as  how the elders used to live was well-timed to teach the new generations about cultural issues.

He echoed Goya’s sentiments  that Batswana were living in a changing society affecting how they live, and that it was imperative that preserving  indigenous culture be taken seriously. ENDS