21 Nov 2019

The annual Mmakgodumo Cultural Festival is expected to take place on November 30 behind Mmakgodumo Dam in Kanye.

The event, whose aim is to revive Ga-Ngwaketse culture and provide a cultural exchange opportunity for various tribes in Botswana, promises to be bigger and better this year.

Among the various pre-activities planned for this year, the organisers embarked on a Kanye historical sites tour on November 22. The tour was intended to create awareness on these crucial sites which include Mmakgodumo Dam, Bathoen Bird Sanctuary and Dihalana tsa ga Ngwaketse among others.

“We have also decided to heed the call to organise a pre-event to ignite the mood so we will have traditional games such as Mohele, Morabaraba and other cultural entertainment activities the previous night as a build up to the main event. This will not only promote culture but will also reduce congestion on the main programme on November 30,” said Bathoen II Trust secretary, Malebogo Modise.

Additionally, Modise said they would invite farmers from Ngwaketse region to showcase their animal and crop breeds during the event. This, she noted, was intended to promote agriculture as a sustainable and cultural aspect of life.

She also noted that they have learnt from the past experience and therefore plans were underway to barricade the area as a security reinforcement effort as well as to prevent people from entering for free. “Last year, we found that people took advantage of the darkness and were entering at ungazetted points because that is an open space, but we have decided to act on that in order to maximise ticket sales and ensure order,” she explained.

Modise further said they had received complaints from stall owners who did not make enough profit from the event. She said they intend to reduce the number of stalls to give small businesses an opportunity to make more profits. She said if possible, they would rotate businesses every year to give others the chance to benefit from the event.

She noted that even though they wished to give priority to local traditional artists, the festival was in its nature a cultural exchange event hence they would give other artists a chance to take part. She said they have already started receiving quotations from traditional groups and artists who want to be a part of the project. Ends