Bakgatla-Ba-Ga-Manaana Celebrate Dikgafela
Spira Tlhankane | Monday September 17, 2018 18:00
The event was attended by the president himself and other dignitaries from as far as South Africa who joined in to revive the long abandoned traditional harvest festival, Dikgafela.
During the event, women, in traditional regalia of shawls, of matching blue and black colours donned German print skirts commonly called leteisi. Led by men, the women with baskets of harvest on their heads made their way to the Kgotla to officially hand over Dikgafela to the traditional leader.
When he welcomed people to his village, Kgosi Kgabosetso II Mosielele encouraged farmers to listen to advice when the ploughing season begins in the next few months.
“We should respect each other, compete and also help one another,” he said. Kgosi Mosielele added that Batswana have been dependent on neighbouring countries for food and that “time has come for us to stand and produce our own food. Dikgafela grows every minute. As clouds are gathering, we should be ready for the ploughing season,” he highlighted.
Also known as Kgosi Oscar Mosielele, he said the main mission of the event is to celebrate a good harvest from the previous ploughing season.
“Food is an important aspect of life, therefore we should encourage self-reliance and stand up for ourselves. Dikgafela is to celebrate the fact that we eat food from our own fields and not dependent of the government,” he said.
He said besides promoting culture, the event promotes food security and job creation. Kgosi Mosielele added that they live in an era where people can be easily influenced by western culture therefore Bakgatla Ba Ga Manaana as a tribe have to make sure that the culture doesn’t perish. He said their intention is to list their event with The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Representing the Department of Meteorological Services, John Stegling gave the farmers what to expect in the coming rainy season. “We should expect normal to low rainfall as a result of El Nino, which is the cycle of warm and cold temperatures and Southern Africa has been affected,” he said.
Stegling however assured farmers that it would rain between November and December 2018. He said the first drops of rain would start before independence. He encouraged farmers to engage with Agriculture experts to see what to plant. Farmers were encouraged not to plough maize early and avoid planting twice in one season. They were further advised to plough sorghum in large quantities because of the low rainfall anticipated.