19 Aug 2015

For the first time, Babirwa are set to celebrate their origins at an event dubbed Bobirwa Cultural Festival in October.

This was revealed by the chairperson of Ngwao Loshalaba Association, Godfrey Maake during a site seeing tour in Motlhabaneng to scout for a place to hold the celebrations.

Maake said the event would provide a platform to celebrate Bobirwa culture by showcasing their cuisine, dance, attire, games and music. 

He said Motlhabaneng has been chosen to host the event because it has a lot of historic sites that tell the story of Babirwa’s origin.

He said Ngwao Loshalaba Association, which is mandated with overseeing the promotion of traditional music and dance across the various cultures in the country, will be working in collaboration with Re Tla Are Ke Dipitse Group from Bobonong. 

The latter will be the main driver of the event.

“Being the first of its kind, the festival is anticipated to provide an opportunity to unearth and document the different cultural activities present in Bobirwa,” he said. Maake also noted that the festival would provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their talent and sell their works.

He said his organisation has since approached various stakeholders in the area for sponsorship, and that some have shown interest in endorsing the event. He said he met tribal leaders in the area who were also delighted at the idea of hosting the event.

Kgosi Bethuel Machete of Motlhabaneng commended the initiative, saying it would attract investors and development to Motlhabaneng, in addition to making the village a tourism site. Ends