20 Jun 2023

Batlokwa gathered at the main Kgotla Saturday morning to celebrate the traditional harvest festival Dikgafela, or Molomo in the local parlance.

Batlokwa women and tribesmen clad in traditional regalia took turns to officially hand over dikgafela to their paramount Chief Kgosi Puso Gaborone who gracefully accepted the gifts and declared a bumper harvest in the next coming ploughing season.

Dikgafela is a symbolic festival meant to appease the heavens to release rains and also doubles as a celebration for the current harvest and request rain for the next ploughing season.

About 14 makgotlana or wards inched into the Kgotla to present gifts to Kgosi Puso singing celebratory folk songs in a thanksgiving mood and also praying for bumper harvest in future.

Kgosi Puso had called morafe to the Kgotla late last year for Letsema.

“We are back here again for dikgafela, in Setlokwa called molomo. Re tsile go ja mofufutso wa phatla!” announced Kgosi Puso much to the delight of morafe who responded in joyful ululations.

Kgosi Puso said the event signified a major milestone in the cultural heritage of his morafe. He said morafe was in a way thanking God and the ancestors for heeding their call for the rains and future harvests.

He said besides promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Batlokwa it also promoted food security and wealth creation.

Kgosi Puso said elder people had the responsibility of handing down traditions, culture and norms to the young generation.

Guest speaker who is also Chinese ambassador to Botswana Mr Wang Xuefeng said the cultural practice by Batlokwa indicated the rich and beautiful culture of Batswana. He said the dikgafela had striking similarities to the Chinese food thanksgiving ceremony.

“Food is a paramount necessity of our people, we celebrate planting and harvesting, we celebrate the gratitude to land and we make a wish to have a good harvest in the coming year,” he added.

Mr Wang said Batswana shared their rich cultural heritage with the world through their food, music and dance.

He said China and Botswana had cordial relations which had stood the test of time due to the relationship between its people. He said unity between the people of the two countries held the key to the strong bilateral ties between states.

Entertainment was provided by Ditlhaka, poetry and different traditional dance groups. The event was graced by Bakwena Paramount Chief Kgosi Kgari Sechele III and Kgosi Lotlamoreng II of Barolong. Ends