31 May 2016

Shakawe East councilor, Lesedi Boy, says Botswana has established a strong cultural heritage that is admired worldwide.

Speaking during the Okavango cultural festival celebrated under the theme Culture our heritage, in Shakawe recently, Boy said the national culture of a strong democracy, religious ties and strong traditions defines its citizens.

He said since the national anthem was “the cardinal compass that guides us, the peace and tranquility should not only be heard in songs and dance rather be our defining features at all levels as Batswana.”

Boy noted that since the role of culture in promoting human development was comprehensively acknowledged when the universal declaration was established in 2001, the fundamental question that arises is how people use culture in promoting human economic development.

He said it was vital for the nation to look at how strong the family values are, schools, churches and work environment which play a very pivotal role in the socialization stages of human development.

Mr Boy applauded the founding political fathers, who through the Republican Constitution recognized the promotion and maintenance of the country’s diverse cultural postures.

He said the people of Okavango need to acknowledge their greatness in having a strong culture of conservation as they are the only region with two World heritage sites being Tsodilo Hills and the Okavango Delta.

Mr Boy said Batswana has since the beginning demonstrated a high degree of tolerance to their diverse cultural expressions, ethnicities, respect for each other’s lifestyle and other cultural practices which they need to safeguard against practices that will destroy their cultural cohesion and unity.

He further noted that although poverty is a big challenge to the region, people need to establish a culture of hard work in order to prosper, adding that they should not sell their land as it was their heritage too.

“We should welcome the government’s effort to promote cultural heritage through arts competition, to acknowledge that a lot has to be done and our culture should not be in songs and dance only,” he highlighted.

Mr Boy said people need to see how rich their culture was as wealth creation by promoting cultural tourism has not been fully exploited in the country.

“I call upon the young people to look at this aspect as an opportunity to create jobs and development in our region and wish to appeal to our elderly to share cultural knowledge with the young ones so as to preserve our traditions. Batswana need to ensure that their culture is well documented and that each region has cultural museums defining its people”, he noted.

For his part the district officer in the Okavango sub-district, Tshepo Mogojwe, said celebrating culture is very essential as it gives the young ones chance to explore how people lived in the past as well as to learn where they come from.

He said the event reveals how our late grandfathers lived and such events help the current generation to preserve their precious past so it doesn’t drain away. Ends