09 Jul 2019

The City of Francistown came alive as tribal administration employees celebrated a culture night as a built up to the cultural day event to be held at Moselewapula Cultural Village in Francistown on July 25.

The event, a fund raising dinner, attracted cultural patrons from all ages. It was also a forum, which provided an opportunity for all to exhibit diversity of culture in the country.

One group that put up a great performance was the descendants of the Ntogwa family which managed to break down the cultural barrier with their own brand of dance that appealed to all in the hotel. 

Speaking at the fund raising dinner, Francistown senior magistrate, Kose Makobo said culture was a way of life of particular people at a particular locality at a particular time.

She said culture was dynamic and often reflects times in which people exists. 

“It finds expression in the language we speak, the food we eat and how we prepare it, the God we worship, the way we welcome the newly born and the way we bid farewell to the departed,” she explained.

She however said there were always alteration in cultural norms, which often resulted in social change, some such as women empowerment had been positive. She however said the ever increasing social ills suggests that the societal cultural ideals faced threat of cultural obliteration.

“Literally, every week, newspapers and radio reports are awash with news of murder, rape child molestation, family breakdown and many other social ills,” she said.

She said courts were flooded with such cases, depicting that social breakdown was at a very alarming rate.

She said recently, a 24-hour service clinic in Gaborone had to shut down because of attacks on health workers at night, an act which should be condemned by all and warned that the administration of justice will not give up to ensures culprits were brought to book. 

She said the biggest guarantor of longevity and survival as a nation were strong and healthy families; which would translate to strong and healthy societies and ultimately to a strong and healthy nation.

Francistown mayor, Sylvia Muzila said the dispensation of justice and preservation of culture was the mandate of the tribal administration.

She therefore called on traditional leaders to ensure that culture in every sector of the society was respected and preserved adding that without such the nation was bound to lose direction. 

Tatitown deputy court president, Ishmael Legwaila explained that the main objective of the event was a built up to the main event to be held at Gerald Estate later this month.

He said cultural nights provide an opportunity to exhibit diversity of culture in the country and the struggle for social justice and human rights. 

He urged Batswana to play a leading role in preservation of their cultural identity. ENDS