04 Sep 2018

Acting President Slumber Tsogwane has described culture as a driver and enabler of inclusive growth.

Tsogwane said this on September 1 during the Mbanderu Cultural Festival in Rakops.

He said culture was a channel to forge new forms of global solidarity and citizenship. “No society can flourish without culture and no development can be sustainable without it,” he said.

The main objective of the festival, he said, was to promote pride, cultural heritage and bring the eye of the tribe. The group, he said, existed to sensitise young people to invest in community building initiatives in order to fight abject poverty and realise economic emancipation for the broader community.

Botswana, he said, was home to many rich cultures, noting that in return the country should be exporting and sharing the rich diverse culture with other nations.

Tsogwane said it was important to eliminate lack of understanding of each other’s culture since ignorance normally yielded intolerance and a sense of rejection.

He encouraged them to invite other tribes in Botswana to appreciate their culture. He noted that attendance of people of all ages including children and more predominantly the youth; was a commendable effort because culture was being passed from generation to generation to ensure continuity and preservation.

Diverse culture, he said, made society to be united as a nation with a common vision for economic prosperity and peace.

The acting President said government acknowledged the fact that cultural diversity was good for education, peace-making, social justice and cohesion. He added that it fostered tolerance for other cultures at an early stage.

Tsogwane said it was the desire of government to ensure that every culture represented in Botswana contributed to democracy, education, social justice, cultural tourism and development of cultural industries to create jobs.

He encouraged the group to invite and partner with Botswana Tourism Board so that they could appreciate the beauty of their culture.

He also urged the Mbanderu to continue to reach out to every aspect of their culture, may it be food, clothing, artefacts, values, tradition and poetry among others and utilise it for job creation and growing the local economy.

He also implored them to document their cultural activities as that would benefit future generations, researchers as well as tourists, citing that cultures were facing extinction mainly due to lack of documentation.

Meanwhile, the secretary of Mbanderu Youth Association of Botswana, Abia Kavei said the purpose of the festival was to create common gathering space, celebrate tradition, display ethnic pride and provide a learning opportunity for other tribes.

The theme of the event: Cultural development towards economic emancipation, Kavei said aimed at raising awareness as well as unpacking opportunities that existed in culture in the form of creative arts to create economic opportunities for the people.

The paramount chief of Mbanderu from Namibia, Nguvauva III Munjuku urged the Mbanderu to uphold their culture and award it the seriousness it deserves for it to be recognised by government.

He urged them to join hands in building a cultural centre in Sehithwa. He applauded the horse riders for a beautiful display of procession, saying it was a step in the right direction towards promoting and preserving their culture. BOPA