03 Feb 2021

The Minister of Youth Empowerment Sport and Culture Development, Mr Tumiso Rakgare says his ministry has resuscitated some of the community cultural festivals including Domboshaba, Kuru, Poetavango, and Dithubaruba.

Mr Rakgare, who was responding to a question asked in Parliament by Tati West MP, Mr Simon Moabi, said cultural festivals were meant to promote and preserve cultural practices and traditions, stimulate social cohesion, improve social environment and have beneficial economic spin for local communities.

The minister said in pursuant of the objective, P120 000 from the arts and culture grant was injected into each of these festivals annually since 2014 for more activities, presentation as well as documentation.

Mr Rakgare stated that Domboshaba Community Trust was also assisted to renovate facilities to appeal to festival patrons and to provide other technical support at a total amount of P1 372 000 since 2014.

He said besides the annual financial support towards the Domboshaba Community Cultural Festival. MYSC also ensured the festival was included in the national calendar of events to market and promote the diverse activities undertaken.

“The calendar was shared at both the national and international level hence the attendance by patrons from around South African Region,” he said.

The minister also said as a further marketing strategy of the Festival, MYESC collaborated with entities such as Botswana Innovation and Trade Centre (BITC), Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO) Domboshaba Trust as well as private sector.

Moreover he said collaboration with diverse media such as radio and television provided platforms that helped document and promote the festival.

“The Ministry has also gone further to implement the UNESCO 2003 Convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as well as capacitating local communities in the North East District to enable them document and safeguard their living heritage,” he said.

Mr Rakgare further said Domboshaba Cultural Festival had been consolidated with other Festivals and Cultural heritage sites such as Dikgatlhong, Letsibogo, Shashe Trading Tree, Mwali Annual Rain Dance and Tshesebe Fig Tree among others into big annual Festivals that would attract tourists.

Therefore he said communities around Domboshaba and other sites should mobilise and carry out cultural and tourism activities to preserve, promote and develop the sites, adding that formal structures such as community trusts should be set for coordination and provision of diverse cultural tourism products.

Mr Moabi, had asked about strategies put in place to resuscitate the Domboshaba Annual Cultural Festival to create one big annual Northern Cultural Festival that include

Dikgatlhong, Letsibogo, Shashe Trading Tree, The Mwali Annual Rain Dance, the Tshesebe Fig Tree Festival and Nyangabwe Annual Festival among others to attract tourists. ENDS