Gov�t injects P11.5m for Kgosi Sechele I Museum construction
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday September 5, 2017 14:40
Khama hailed Kweneng as a centre for arts and culture in Botswana, saying now that the funds have been availed the new museum will be built. He said the project would reflect principles of developing Molepolole as a cultural hub for the Kweneng District.
The move to build a new museum at the heritage site has been on the cards and construction will soon begin, he said.
Some of the cultural structures at the site like the traditional hut have been renovated and have now paved way for other infrastructural developments.
The burial site at Ntsweng will also be moved to accommodate for the new project.
Dithubaruba Festival, which is run by Kgosi Sechele I Museum board of trustees, continued to attract other Bakwena tribes from South Africa.
Different speakers took to the podium to highlight Kgosi Sechele I as an integral part of Bakwena’s rich culture and history.
Culture was celebrated with various activities from music to dance. Solly Sebotso and Sebongile Kgaila serenaded the crowd with the magic of the four-string guitar.
Dikhwaere crowdpuller, Dr Vom did his usual appearance performing the classic hit, Thobane, as people emerged from the stands to join the singer on stage.
Culture Spears performed afterwards and people sang along as they remembered the once powerful group that has since lost its members such as Charma Gal and Thembeni Ramosetheng.
Even though Jelina ‘Selonyana’ Mokgwatlheng has recently rejoined the group, the atmosphere was not the same as Kabelo Mogwe sang his popular verses in as he did in their previous hits.
What really worked for Charma Gal’s former husband is that he was a lead singer in most of Culture Spears’ songs and it also helped him on stage.
Shirley Mokoka of Tshweu Ngwanaka fame also graced the stage, but seemed irrelevant to the crowd. Besides contemporary artists, traditional dance groups such as Dipela tsaga Kobokwe from Molepolole and Kgabo Setso from Thamaga captivated the crowd with their skills in categories like phathisi and borankana.
With their impressive choreography Velkom Polka Group from Gabane showed that Polka dance is not just from Gantsi and Kgalagadi. They announced they name of their latest single after Khama and presented it to him.
Elderly women from wards such as Maunatlala in Molepolole carried pots of harvest and the traditional beer on their heads for villagers to drink. Lead by an elderly man shouting the phrase “dikgafela tseo”, the women took the harvest to Mohumagadi wa Bakwena, Mma Tumagole.
Later in the evening men gathered at the Kgotla to feast on a traditional meat dish called mokoto. Traditionally, only men eat mokoto and the meat is taken from the backbone of a cow. The men also drank bojalwa jwa Setswana from Dikgafela offerings.
The women on the other hand ate meat called ngati in Setswana. Only they (women) can eat ngati meat others are not allowed. The activities of ‘go ja mokoto’ and ‘ngati’ happened simultaneously.