10 Oct 2017

A Facebook page named ‘Setswana Sa Go Lowe intended to teach and promote the beauty of Setswana language to many young Batswana has been set up by a young Motswana man.

The page that was created by 31-year-old Mmadinare-born native, Mr Festus Outule has excerpts such as ‘Ke gopola Nkuku a sale botshelong. Rene re ntse moriting wa mophane, re lapolosa ditlhaa ka kabu. O ne a nthaya a re, ngwana wa ngwanake, e re go tlhalefa ngaka, le bolwetse o bo tlhalefe. Ela tlhoko bo meno masweu ba ba jang le wena mo mogopong.’

Such are some of the excerpts found in this Facebook page, detailing and publishing some of the Tswana language’s best kept secret; its proverbs and what many language followers tends to term, ‘Setswana sa borre’

In an interview with Mr Outule, who is the sole administrator and author of the page, he stated that his Facebook page started from humble beginnings like any other fan page on social media.

He worked hard to make it as relevant as it is today, attracting multitudes of learned Tswana language fanatics from all over Botswana and the page has more than 7 300 likes of late.

It is meant to show the beauty of Setswana language because many young Batswana have now resorted to the use of English.

“Their own language has been pushed to second place and it is not good because we have lost our country’s pride by doing so,” he said.

The administrator of the page and seasoned Setswana writer revealed that he had been a fan of Setswana language since as early as the age four.

At the age of four, when many of his peers were either playing around or enjoying their adolescence, he was busy writing and got to publish his first story on the then government owned magazine, ‘Moso.’

At junior school, he was getting straight As in Setswana language so much that he was the envy of the school for his command of the language.

“My compositions were often read in class and other teachers came to my class to borrow my Setswana compositions from my teacher to use them as examples at their own classes,” Mr Outule said.

Furthermore, he enjoys reading Setswana novels such as Sebaga sa Lorato by former Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Ray Molomo or, Fa a lelela legodu by Mmantsetsana Marope and Dudley Senajwe’s, Meno Masweu and E re o bona pilo.

He has jus completed his very own Setswana novel that he is hoping to publish soon.

“Luckily for me, my book manuscript was edited by Mr Molomo himself who praised me for writing a wonderful piece of story with less grammatical errors for him to correct.

I am hoping Pentagon Publishers will snatch it for publication as I have passed it to them,” he noted.

Apart from writing, Mr Outule is a graduate of Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies (GIPS) where he graduated in 2014 with a Diploma in Travel and Tourism and Hospitality Management. BOPA