25 Oct 2022

Botswelelo Pottery, a non-profit community project in Thamaga, held a cultural event to promote the spirit of self-sufficiency and resuscitate their ailing business.

The Saturday event was also intended to promote and market the business to the community.

Residents were taken on a tour of the premises and had a glimpse of the production process of the hand-made clay ware.

Attendees were also treated to traditional cuisine and entertainment. Local businesses were also given an opportunity to market their products.

Guest of honour, Tiny Healy, said all must embrace their cultural identity.

She told Thamaga residents to be proud of their cultural uniqueness.

In addition, she said every ethnic tribe had a distinct culture which could be seen through the food and the language.

Healy, therefore, encouraged the younger generation to use proper Sekgatla words when they speak as well as uphold cultural practices such as go ntsha ditlhogo a practice in the Setswana culture where one’s uncles are presented with gifts to show appreciation of the role they played in the family.

Furthermore, Healy said, Batswana were known for their warmth as demonstrated through greetings, adding those were positive things that should be passed throughout generations.

However, she said some things in the Setswana culture were regressive such as lobola.

She it should be looked at and changed to accommodate people who wanted to marry, but did not have the means to pay the required bride price.

MP for Thamaga/Kumakwane Palelo Motaosane reiterated that the proper cultural practices of Sekgatla-sa-ga-mmanaana were lost.  “Bakgatla ba-ga-mmanaana ke bajaki ba ngwao le ka leleme,” he said denoting that their ethnicity and cultural identity was lost to other cultures.

However, he said when Botswelelo pottery was established in the 70s, it aimed to capacitate women and teach them vocational skills to alleviate them from poverty.

He, therefore, expressed concern that with that said, the organisation was still stagnant though with resources it could have been a big project by now.

He said the trust should strive to diversify the business enterprise and incorporate other products such as production of roofing material to create employment opportunities and realize growth.

He commended the organisers of the event for coming up with a market day initiative and suggested that it be turned into an annual event and be marketed immensely to attract not only Thamaga residents but people from other places.

Board member of Botswelelo Trust, Aminah Makhwa, said she was one of the first students when Botswelelo Trust was established in 1971 by missionaries.

She said it was established to capacitate women most of whom were struggling to fend for their families as their husbands spent most of the time working in the mines in South Africa while they remained behind to look after children.

The women did not have formal education but through Botswelelo Trust they were taught vocational skills in the form of carpentry, sewing and pottery.

She, however, expressed desire to see the project successful and sustaining itself.

She encouraged youth to join other women and learn the craft to sustain themselves since unemployment was rife.

One of the organisers, Ms Botlalo Keipeile, said the event was organised to sell Botswelelo to Thamaga residents and resuscitate the business through a market day event.

She said the business was stagnant because pottery was a craft so if they lost employees, it was difficult to transfer the skills to new ones.  However, she pointed out that they were in the process of looking for sponsors to fund purchasing equipment to increase production. Ends