14 Sep 2014

Tonota village recently celebrated 100 years of existence amidst splendor and sharing of historical thoughts by the few who could still remember the long history of Bakhurutshe since 1914.

The chain of events kicked off from the equally 100-year-old Tonota Primary School on September 05, with traditional songs, cultural performances, and games, followed by an evening of historical thoughts at the village’s oldest Molebatsi kgotla.

The events culminated on September 07 with a big feast and speeches from various guests from as far as Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho, among other countries.

Most of the people of Tonota are Bakhurutshe but the reality is that the village now comprises people from different ethnic groups, among them, Bakalaka, Barotsi, Bazezuru, and Bangwato, among others.

During the celebrations, it was noted that the village therefore takes pride in the fact that all these ethnic groups have been able to live together in peace and harmony over the years.

The main speaker, Kgosi Kebinatshwene Mosielele of Bahurujtshe-ba-ga-Manyana said the residents of Tonota had a reason to celebrate after traversing the Southern African region from the Transvaal to their final destination for many years.

Kgosi Mosielele said it was perhaps the first time that they had met together emotionally to celebrate after a split which was occasioned by a fight between the two sons of Queen Mohurutshe being Motebele and Motebelejana.

The conflict resulted in them splitting and going their separate ways; therefore, he commended the theme for the celebrations ‘Popagano ke Phenyo’ which translates to ‘Unity is Victory’ in English.

He said it captured the emotional meeting of brothers and sisters who had not known for centuries that they were actually one.

Furthermore, he elaborated that, as Bakhurutshe, they had had a significant success in building a comprehensive genealogy from their ancestor Phofhu to present generations.

However, they needed to do more and engage more brains, particularly from the youth to write a comprehensive history of Bahurutshe because the information is scattered all over in a number of publications.

He stressed that their success had also elicited interests from other tribal groupings to join them in order to emulate what they had started.

Kgosi Radipitse Ramosinyi of Tonota stated that the village had grown tremendously over the years, stressing that when the first group settled in the village, there were only four wards but now the village boasted of sixteen wards comprising people from different ethnic groups.

For his part, Mr Patrick Balopi, who is regarded as one of the village elders, echoed the late Sir Seretse Khama’s words that ‘a nation without a culture is a nation without a soul.’ 

He stressed that it was imperative for Bakhurutshe to celebrate and showcase their rich cultural heritage and history so that it does not wane. He emphasized that understanding one’s cultural heritage goes a long way in nation building. ENDS