05 Feb 2026

After winning several dance competitions, Ngami Junior Secondary School traditional dance group has earned recognition and endeared itself to Tsutsube dance followers.
Under the leadership of coach, Maano Kagiso, the group whose name deserves a mention when talking about outfits skilled in Tsutsube dance, was crowned champions at last year at the Association of Botswana School Performing Arts (ABOSPA) competitions, which promote youth development through arts and culture as well as self-reliance and discipline.
This is after being crowned the winners of the National Arts Festival in Tsutsube dance category in 2024.
They have also because a constant feature in community activities, as a marketing platform.
Tsutsube dance commonly associated with the San people, is rich in meaning and cultural significance.
But even with such accomplishments, they still battle with issues as financial challenges, making it difficult to purchase full attire and to maintain learners during trips.
As much as Kagiso appreciates that the group has established itself in the region, he worries that it becomes a challenge when they have to honour invites to competitions, due to financial constraints.
This, he says has seen him, together with his co-coach dig deep into their pockets to hire full attire for the group. Just recently, he says they had to pay for fuel to transporting the group to attend some competition, and pay the driver of the bus they were travelling in.
Kagiso believes that school programmes like traditional dance instill discipline and build confidence in learners hence appealed to companies and individuals to invest in them.
“Dancing is much more than entertainment, it is a powerful teaching tool that speaks to the heart of our culture and I am grateful that many children in the school have been inspired to join the group,” he says. He appreciates support from some individuals in Maun and Sehithwa and calls on the business community to invest in local talent and school programmes like traditional dance which can safeguard history and values.
When schools incorporate extra activities such as traditional dance, Kagiso says they are not just teaching them choreography but passing on values, history and pride hence it is advisable to invest more in arts and culture activities. Studies even showed how dance can improve learners’ social skills making it a fun way to grow academically and personally.  The school’s Parents and Teachers Association, he says is making efforts to generate income to support the school’s programmes but it is not sufficient to cover all the costs.
Furthermore, Kagiso highlights that most of learners in the group are staying in the school hostels and with challenge of learner indiscipline in schools, some have the tendency of absconding from school and stay in nearby farms but since joining the group, they got inspired to champion talent and preserving musical heritage.
He pleads with parents to encourage their children to engage in extra curricula activities such as arts as some would in future use it to improve their livelihoods.
“We are also engaging some established community traditional groups in the likes of Setsuatsue Arts Group in Maun to absorb the learners after they completed school because they are very talented,” he says.
Meanwhile, the renowned Setsuatsue group have participated in both local and international events as it once travelled to Asia to share their traditional dance and music with the global audience. The group is made up of young people whom majority are unemployed and performs all the genres but specialises in Tsutsube dance and Kagiso believes that his performers can add value to the growth of the group as they also mastered and perform the dance. ENDS