11 Jul 2024

Reminiscing on the beauty of the different cultural aspects that Bangwaketse upheld back in time when their culture was intact and unadulterated, dikgosi from several wards in Kanye shared how beautiful life would be today had that state of affairs been maintained.

At a workshop on intangible cultural heritage held by the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture in Kanye on Wednesday, they said the general evolution of society and the influence from foreign cultures had swallowed up several important aspects of their culture which set them apart from other tribes.

Touching on some of the cultural practices that they used to uphold, Kgosi Nkopo Serwadi of Goo-Modutlwa ward mentioned morurelo, a practice that he said centred around ‘go baakanya peo’ in preparation for an impending ploughing season.

He said the practice, which fell within the intangible cultural heritage scope, was intended to guarantee a bumper harvest.

“Go ne go itsewe gore mmasemangmang o nale lebogo le lentle mme e re ha a go diretse morurelo o bo o itse gore ngwaga e tlaa nna o monamagadi. O ne o ka isa peo ya gago kwa go yo o dirang ka ditlhare kana yo o rapelang ka gore ba bangwe ba ne ba o dira ka thapelo hela,” he said, explaining how the process could be done by both traditional doctors or those who believed in the power of prayer.

Kgosi Serwadi said morurelo was used alongside others in the overall management of crop farming and helped ensure food self-sufficiency in families and communities.

While appreciating the importance of the workshop in trying to steer locals back to their roots, Kgosi Dikgageng Sebati of Goo-Sebako said with the rate at which Batswana were detaching from their culture, it was worrying if they would ever truly go back to their true identity.

“It will take a lot of effort on our part as a people to recognise how far off-course we have gone, and it will take even greater effort to go back to where we should be,” he stated later in an interview.

Speaking earlier on the importance of preserving culture, Bangwaketse queen, Masetsibi Gaseitsiwe said culture provided a sense of identity and belonging and was also a platform through which people could earn a living.

She said if packaged well, it could also help contribute to the diversification of the economy at both community and national levels.

The workshop facilitator  Thebeetsile Thebeetsile said Botswana’s ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 signified the country’s commitment to the protection and preservation of this aspect of culture.

He said one of the achievements since the convention was ratified included the formation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) committees in four districts of Ghanzi, Kgatleng, Chobe and North East.

Thebeetsile said the committees were doing well in safeguarding intangible aspects of the respective cultures of their people. 

He said some of their success  included the inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding such as earthenware pottery-making skills and Dikhwaere folk music both for Kgatleng District, as well as the Seperu folkdance and its associated practices for Chobe District.

He added that efforts were ongoing by the North East District to have the Wosana ritual and its associated practices inscribed. Ends