04 Aug 2019

Culture is a thread that ties people together like a bundle of wood; hence people should not shy away from it, says First Lady Neo Masisi.

Giving a keynote address during Francistown Tribal Administration Culture Day recently, Masisi said culture was dynamic and it unifies the society.

“Culture molds the society; hence the need to impart it on children while they are still young, she said.

She highlighted that people should understand who they were and where they were going, adding that they should also learn other people’s cultures so that they become multicultural.

She however cautioned people against copying and adopting bad behaviour, noting that ‘to accept your culture, you should first love it and follow its principle in a manner that the society around you, will envy you’.

She said culture could be expressed in many ways like language, attire, dance, food and the way people greet each other, either by clapping hands first or kneeling down.

She said that while every African country had its own culture, Batswana were who they are because of their culture, which respects consultation and the spirit of Botho that had unified the nation irrespective of colour, creed, language or place of birth or origin.

“Social media is destroying culture,” she said adding that the society had to re-introspect and do away with bad things and behaviours.

She called on parents to maintain cultural norms and caution youth against drug and alcohol abuse and cohabitation, which contribute to teenage pregnancy.

The first lady also castigated parents who boast about their children having phobia of animals, saying that alone was defeating the idea of promoting culture. She emphasised that parents should take their children with them when going to the cattle post for them to learn about aspects of culture.

For his part, Gerald Estates court president, Motlatsi Kediseng said the objectives of the day was to bring elderly to the kgotla to show that ‘bogosi exists and should be respected as they are the custodians of culture’.

He said youth should learn culture from their elders without fear and ask how other things were done culturally.

He said as the first president of the country had articulated that ‘A nation without culture is a lost nation’, parents  should should share with their children aspects of culture.

Meanwhile, he said the event was the fifth cultural day to be held in Francistown adding that they would continue having the event in different kgotlas.

The theme of the day was Addressing Social Ills Through Culture. ENDS