06 Oct 2015

The Bakalanga community has been urged to take great pride in their culture and language. 

Officiating at the 15th anniversary of Domboshaba cultural festival October 3, Mishodzi Molokomme who is an individual development practitioner and training consultant, said preservation of one’s language and culture was the only way in which people could express and identify themselves.

Molokomme said culture and language should not exist independently of each other since the two served to complement each other. 

She said language was a key component of one’s culture and that the two gave a clear recognition of one’s tribe. She thus encouraged Bakalanga to promote and preserve their culture and language for the benefit of future generations.

She further advised them to take the responsibility of laying the foundation for their children by ensuring that they taught them their culture and language at home through kalanga songs, recitations, proverbs and poems. 

She noted that while government had not yet introduced the teaching and learning of indigenous languages in schools, each one of them should be a specialist and a designer of the Kalanga curriculum so that by the time the government considers introducing the teaching of indigenous languages, they would be ready to implement it.

She said the likes of Ndingo Johwa and other Kalanga performing artists had already laid a foundation for Bakalanga.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Louis Malikongwa, said his ministry was committed to sponsoring all cultural festivals throughout the country since they preserved and promoted culture. 

He said Bakalanga should be proud of the Domboshaba festival and he applauded the organisers of the event for a job well done. 

He highlighted that the Domboshaba 15th anniversary was a clear indication that they were committed to preserving their culture.

Giving a vote of thanks, chairperson of the Domboshaba Cultural Trust, General Moetedi said inviting guests such as Kgosi Kgari Sechele III of Bakwena and performing groups from Molepolole and Ghanzi was a way of promoting cultural exchange and sensitising other tribes about the Bakalanga culture. 

Moetedi extended his gratitude to their sponsors who included the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Brand Botswana, and First National Bank. 

The festival is held every year at a place situated around the Domboshaba ruins, about nine kilometers west of Masunga village where the Bakalanga community brings its culture to life through showcasing traditional food and other material that identify with their culture as well as performance of traditional music such as hosana, woso, ndazula and mukomoto.

This year’s festival started with a 24 km men and women bicycle race, which was sponsored by Brand Botswana.

 Pedzisani Ntonge of Nswazwi won the woman’ s category and received P1 000 and a bicycle while Iye Atlholang of Nshakazhogwe and Thandi Jabulani of Zwenshambe got position two and three respectively.

They received P1 000 and P500. 

In the men’s category, Tshepo Lindangi of Mosojane received P1 000 and a bicycle after scooping position one while P1 000 and P500 went to Sole Gaza of Nswazwi and Zanisani Lekgoba of Zwenshambe who came second and third respectively. Ends