29 Aug 2017

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is sponsoring an earthenware pottery making skills for 20 volunteers in Mochudi to the tune of over P600 000.

When giving a brief overview, UNESCO project coordinator, Bathusi Lesolobe said volunteers were from around Kgatleng District, who were committed to learning pottery.

He said the funding from UNESCO came  under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, which encourages safeguarding cultural diversity among the peoples through the Botswana National Commission for UNESCO which was launched in December 2012.

Lesolobe said the sponsorship would go a long way in making sure that intangible cultural heritage was preserved through training of others who would in turn carry the skills into the future.

He added that the training, which would run for 12 months would be run under the tutelage of Mmapula Rapekenene at her homestead in Kgwarape.

The project coordinator further said the reason for the training was to transfer skills of pottery making more so that the master potters were aging, noting that the research that was carried out in 2010, showed that there were only four master potters and most of them were old and therefore their skills had to be safeguarded.

Lesolobe said the research also showed the pottery skills were slowly disappearing compared to the 1970’s when every homestead had the skills to make earthenware pottery.

He said the four master potters were Rapekenene, Mmasekgwa Makgatlhe, Tumediso Motene and Sarah Otukile.

Lesolobe further said there would be an exhibition at the end of the course to showcase what the trainees had learnt and sell their products.

He said they would liaise with Kgatleng Landboard to safeguard area, which had letsopa and moshakalane, which were used in pottery and the area would be fenced and secured.

For her part, Purene Motsewabeng from Botswana National Commission for UNESCO said their duty was to make sure the money dispersed was used accordingly.

She said the budget had to be followed and used accordingly as it had been accounted for, adding that thereafter a report had to produced.

Motsewabeng encouraged all stakeholders to work together for the success of the project.

Rapekenene said she was delighted to be involved in sharing her art and culture with others so that the skills were safeguarded, adding that she had been involved in pottery since 1970 and she had never looked back and many people had learnt the art from her.

Rapekenene added that she had managed to raise her children through the sales of pottery and she was thankful to God for giving her strength to transfer the skills to the trainees so that the culture of pottery was preserved.

Kgosi Segale Linchwe, who thanked UNESCO for sponsoring the course, said the project would go a long way in safeguarding the culture of Bakgatla, which if not preserved, would be lost forever. ENDS