06 Aug 2014

The Acting Minister of Youth Sport and Culture Mr Vincent Seretse said unity is the central key to the success of any nation across the globe.

Botswana like other nations, he said recognises the importance of unity in the development process of her nation.

Speaking during the official launch of “A United and Proud nation” pillar recently, Mr Seretse said “there can never be any meaningful development for any nation without unity”.

He implored citizens to gain a full understanding of what the pillar says, its expectations and their role as citizens in its implementation.

Minister Seretse said communities are made up of different groupings which are brought together by common goals and interests and it was only when all communities appreciate those differences that they can live together in harmony.

He said “therisano and popagano ya setshaba” remains the two tenets of unity that have always underpinned the developmental process in Botswana, where all citizens irrespective of tribe, religion or race are always consulted and given chance to partake on issues of national interest.

He implored citizens not to take for granted peace and tranquility that had prevailed in Botswana for many years, saying many nations who through generations have known no peace envy Botswana nation.

Mr Seretse said the government has come up with a number of initiatives in support of this pillar, and sport and culture have contributed immensely in uniting the nation.

He said the government has re-awaken Batswana to appreciate and respect their own culture in order to reinforce a sense of national unity and pride through Presidents day competitions where citizens celebrate various cultural dances and talents through art and crafts exhibitions.

The ministry, he stated supports and promotes annual community cultural festivals such as Domboshaba, Bakgatla ba ga mmanana, Dithubaruba and others, and all these festivals have gained popularity from across the different tribes in Botswana and united the nation.

Furthermore, he said the annual national languages and culture celebrations are held on rotational basis across the country to celebrate the different languages and cultures found in Botswana.

“Through these celebrations we have unearthed unique artistic talents found among various tribes and these, activities are not just for entertainment, but helps to appreciate different cultures that exist for continued social harmony and stability in the country,” he said.

Moreover, he said sport is another area that has united the nation with no tribal or language barriers, adding that in sport all nations speak the same language and this was evident during the just ended 2nd Africa Youth Games.

Batswana embrace unity when they clad in their blue, black and white colours, put aside their differences and rally behind the national football team-Zebras, he said.

Performance of the athletes at international competitions has also been a pride and joy to the nation, he added.

However, Mr Seretse said a lot has been achieved in this pillar but conditions such as, crime, alcohol abuse, violence against women, corruption remains rampant and thus eluding the nation’s pride.

He urged all citizens to overcome all the challenges in order to sell Botswana as a tourist destination and investment hub.

“We can brand our country successfully through what we do as people, and what we achieve together as a nation,” said Mr Seretse.

He urged parents to encourage their children to partake in sports, cultural groups as part of building a better Botswana.

The acting minister said citizens should aim at nurturing and strengthening the spirit of love and loyalty for the country and have pride in being

Batswana irrespective of religion, tribal grouping or political parties they belong to with the aim of gearing towards uniting the people and achieving the aspirations of Vision 2016.

Minister Seretse urged civil societies and private sectors particularly the media to promote unity in the country since the ideals of Vision 2016 are not meant for the government alone to implement.

He said the ideals of Vision 2016 are not for government alone to implement and implored different sectors to sponsor activities geared towards national unity for a win-win situation to contribute towards building a united and proud Botswana.

“We all need to play our part no matter how small it might appear,” he said.

On other issues, he encouraged all citizens to respect national symbols such as coat of arms, flag and national anthem and be involved in activities fostering national unity.

He said as a ministry they were considering other programmes geared towards nation building and instilling a sense of pride to all citizens.

For her part, Vision 2016 council coordinator, Dr Charity Kruger said Batswana should embrace all the Vision 2016 aspirations to achieve common goals and interests.

She said Botswana is doing a lot in achieving this pillar such as most women are becoming literate and they are holding managerial positions in different workplaces.

Ms Kruger said national anthem is one icon that Batswana pride themselves with and encouraged teachers to continue teaching students at schools. Ends