26 Aug 2015

Multitudes  who thronged the Thari-E-Ntsho cultural village at Disana ward in Maun to celebrate “The Pula and Thebe Day” festival have hailed the organisers for coming up with the initiative that promotes culture.

A cross section of those who talked to BOPA on August 23 said the festival was a welcome development which brought people together to have fun, piece of mind and have the feel of traditional food cuisines and dance.

The aim of the event is to commemorate the inauguration of Botswana currency, Pula and Thebe which was introduced in 1976. Meanwhile, the day was spiced with a variety of traditional foods, drinks, snacks while also enjoying live contemporary music and traditional dance.

Revelers said the festival which was started last year, was growing bigger every year noting that this time, it had attracted many artists, various form of traditional entertainment, local traditional troupes and poets and the community at large.

The coordinator of the festival, Bontekanye Botumile of Thari-E-Ntsho storytellers said the attendance was satisfactory, noting that it showed that people were appreciating the importance of the Pula and Thebe commemoration.

The celebration started last year after Thari-E-Ntsho Storytellers took it upon themselves to celebrate the event with the community. Thari-E-Ntsho Storyteller is a Maun based enterprise that showcases Botswana traditional and contemporary culture through stories, theatre, song, dance, crafts, art and literature.

People were treated to a variety of snacks ranging from Kabu to Mosotlhwane among others. People never ran out of something to eat until lunch time when they were served with traditional food buffet. Various form of traditional games such as Morabaraba, Diketo and Mhele were also played and the winners were awarded some prices.

However, Botumile explained that the objective of hosting the event was to acknowledge the local currency beyond monetary terms and highlight Botswana’s skills and talent.

She said August 23 marked 38 years of Botswana’s currency in circulation following the use of South African Rand from 1961 to 1976 and the British Pound from1855-1961.

Botumile noted that Maun was the first place to recognise and celebrate a part of history that was seemingly forgotten, adding that the Pula currency was a success story, and a part of culture and history as rain signifies a lot in the Setswana culture. She said the currency has contributed well to the economy and development of the country hence the need to take pride and commemorate the day. She emphasised the need to guard against the Pula losing value, as it had happened in other countries.

 “Our culture and tradition is fading rapidly and I believe we could show the new generation that culture and modernisation could go together,” she added. Ends