21 Feb 2024

Throughout the year, there are a number of cultural festivals held to celebrate and promote unique beliefs and cultures belonging to a specific area across Botswana.

On February 23, the Dimawe Cultural Festival is set to take place at the foot of the Dimawe Hill between Bahurutshe villages of Mmankgodi and Manyana. The festival, which is expected to promote Bahurutshe culture and celebrate the itinerary of Batswana (Bakwena, Bangwaketsi, Bakgatla and Balete) as well as the Battle of Dimawe, would be, according to the organisers, a first of its kind and is dubbed Botswana’s biggest festival.

In an interview, the festival organiser, Robert Mangope, said the event themed, Celebrating the triumph of Batswana tribes at Dimawe Hills, was inspired by the need to promote Bahurutshe culture and heritage experiences.

Mangope said the primary objective of the festival was to identify new value chains in culture anchored on tourism potential spaces around Dimawe Hill.

He said the festival would also encourage the communities to take active interest in the development of their culture and language. He added that the festival would feature the best traditional folklore, dikhwaere, borankana, traditional music and cuisine. “As part of local empowerment, we will be having our talented local artistes, traditional dance, segaba, maboko, BDF band, mogolokwane parade from Mogolokwane association and horses parade,” he said.

The event, he said, also had the potential to unlock Botswana’s tourism potential by exposing tourists to the country’s arts and culture. However, he said, the event did not only target audiences from Manyana and Mmankgodi community, but nationally.

He therefore appealed to Batswana to support the initiative. 

He also appealed for sponsorship from interested businesses and individuals all over the country. ENDS