04 Jun 2023

Multiculturalism is deemed a progressive policy worldwide.

Officiating at the Otjiserandu Cultural Festival in Charleshill on Friday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said multiculturalism was a ‘currency’ sought after globally as more and more societies realised that this was the future.

He said the future would not be friendly to monoculturalism as it bred prejudices and disunity because of the tendency to dehumanise and exclude other citizens from equal treatment.

President Masisi said Botswana stood on the plank of unity in diversity. Therefore, he urged Batswana to cherish the principle, disposition and attitude, saying they should never tolerate monolithic and monoculturalism tendencies.

Multiculturalism, he said, had to be promoted globally in order to foster a culture of tolerance and unity in the human race.

He added that Botswana had always chosen the path of multiculturalism. 

“We believe, as enshrined in the Constitution, that everyone deserves respect, freedom and equality of treatment, regardless of gender, beliefs, creed, race or religion,” said President Masisi.

He said the values of multiculturalism should never be taken for granted since they were essential to the security, stability and prosperity. 

For that reason, government, through the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, financially supported cultural festivals.

President Masisi also said cultural festivals provided Batswana with the opportunity to learn about other peoples cultures and customs as well as enhance society by promoting recognition, acceptance and understanding.

President Masisi said government promoted cultural diversity to foster respect for all cultures. He also said cultural diversity fanned the flames of excellence and innovation in daily activities.

He also noted that the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture annually hosted the national arts festival as part of efforts to involve all communities in activities that promoted national unity through art, music, fashion, dance and design. 

“I urge you all to participate in all these activities because by doing so, each one of us plays a role in building a better nation, a better Botswana, which will endure for generations to come,” he said.

He commended the Otjiserandu society and the Ovaherero community for organising the festival. He said it brought Batswana together in appreciation of the oneness of Botswana, characterised by the spirit of unity in diversity.

President Masisi said attention  should be paid on how various ethno-cultural groupings engaged in jubilance and pageantry to recognise and celebrate their cultural identity, achievements and cohesiveness as a people.

He said the celebration of culture was the glue that created a sense of belonging which, in turn, became a strength that enabled individuals to participate in community developments with enthusiasm.

“The national policy on culture, in turn, makes it plain for all of us to see culture as a resource for economic well-being, as happens with the hosting of events such as the Otjiserandu Cultural Festival,” he said.

President Masisi also noted that the spirit of gathering in celebration had always been part and parcel of Tswana folklore. 

“At every turn, occasion and chance, Batswana will gather in activities such as this one, always depicting great flare and style in their dress, dance, music and food,” he said.

The paramount chief of Ovaherero from Nambia, Prof. Mutjiende Katjiua said each individual was a sum of one’s own culture and interactions with other cultures around.

Prof. Katjiua said prevailing political situations might promote cultural diversity to achieve political stability or manipulate cultural diversity to achieve short-term gains at the detriment of long-term peace and stability.

He said it was prudent for any society to invest in its cultural diversity and to highlight the value of cultural diversity.

Prof. Katjiua also said ignorance of the value of cultural diversity and the promotion of ones culture above others was the beginning of fragmentation of society, social tension and the collapse of nation states.

He said the robustness of respective cultures, peaceful co-existence and enhanced cultural interactions were critical elements in building peaceful societies which served as the backbone of political stability.

He said traditional leaders had immense responsibilities to build strong cultural communities and to network with other communities within their political boundaries and beyond, adding that the networks were the seeds of future social and economic enterprises.

“We arrived here as traumatised skeletons looking up to the Batswana to help heal our wounds, nurture us and were given land to allow us to reconstitute a semblance of what was Hereroness (Ovaherero),” he said.

He added that Botswana was the flame that ignited the process for Namibia’s independence. 

He noted that it was Kgosi Tshekedi Khama’s legal advisor Advocate Douglas Buchanan who prepared the first draft of the petition to be improved upon and approved by the Herero chiefs council and signed by Ovaherero paramount chief Hosea Kutako in 1946.

Prof. Katjiua also praised Botswana as a trail blazer, saying it was evidenced by social stability, prudent fiscal policies and progressive land rights and tenure of security. Ends