Ramaphatle to celebrate Legwetla
Chippa Legodimo | Friday May 15, 2015 15:45
Legwetla is a Setswana word commonly used among the Bakgatla baga Manaana and Bangwaketse tribes in reference to what is popularly known as letlhafula in other parts of this country.
Despite the poor rains, which resulted in no or low yields for most farmers, especially in the south parts of Botswana, a group of women in the small settlement along the Kanye-Gaborone road have decided to organise a celebration where traditional foods will be on display. One of the organisers, Prinah Setlogelo, told Arts & Culture that hosting such an event is a way of motivating those farmers who made little from their hard work in the past summer. Setlogelo said that they were able to collect food from a few farmers in their area who were lucky enough to get something despite the drought.
“Boremo jwa mogoma ga boke bo tlhobogwa. There are good and bad years, seasons come and go, but we always have to stay positive that the next season would bring better yield. We want this event to serve as motivation and an opportunity for people to learn about our culture and how it could help us sustain ourselves as a nation,” Setlogetlo said.
She explained that on the day traditional foods such as dikgobe, lengangale, kabu and bogobe jwa lerotse would be in abundance. There will also be traditional poetry, dikhwaere and borankana.
“We will have traditional tools on display as well, so that young people and visitors can appreciate how Batswana used these tools to make food in the past. We shall also have stalls available for artists to display their works,” she said.