Though the main reason for the migration is that people believe urban areas offer more opportunities to find a means of survival, in most cases it does not accord the migrants any meaningful rewards. This results in congestion, while in the rural areas there is a decline in population. The lesser population automatically disqualifies such areas from accessing certain services hence starving it of any further expansion or development.
The services and developments are therefore diverted to urban areas to target the larger population.
Youth, who originate from rural areas are often reluctant to divulge their places of origin fearing embarrassment from their colleagues, who come from urban areas. For instance, those from small Tswapong villages would identify themselves as originating from Palapye or Selebi-Phikwe, while those from small Bobirwa villages would say they come from either Bobonong or Selebi-Phikwe. Others from Bokalaka identify themselves as originating from Francistown and the same applies to those from Kweneng villages, who say they come from Molepolole.
Dipuo Kgakgamatso, who is a resident of Selebi-Phikwe, maintains that she decided to settle permanently in the town because there is no development in her home village of Motlhabaneng. “The services that are abundant here in Phikwe are not available in Motlhabaneng. Di cell phone ga di tshware, ga gona Internet even the language is different. I hope God will forgive me for saying so, but that village is more ideal for our grand parents,” she says.
Kgakgamatso does not even recognise that Motlhabaneng needs her input, as a youth, to advocate for its development. “It was naturally created to be like that and there is nothing we can do for now. Our parents tried and failed,” she says.
She only goes to the home village whenever there is a funeral or any other social gathering.
An accountant, who comes from Mukungwane village but works in Gaborone maintains that he has since resolved to telling people that he comes from Palapye to atleast give them an idea of where he comes from. He says he has grown weary and impatient of always being asked whether Mokungwane is in Botswana because many people are unaware of its existence. “I know that my village needs my contribution to transform but the conditions we are currently living under and the cost of living do not allow me any time to share ideas with elderly people back home. But I wish to see it in a modern state one day.”
He admits that he runs the risk of being embarrassed one day if somebody dies at his home and he is accompanied by workmates to the funeral.
Elderly people have different perceptions on the issue of migration of the youth to urban areas. Ishmael Jacob speaks in a pained voice, on how this practice has resulted in a total moral decay and loss of cultural identity. He says the migrations have led to rural areas losing the quality of cultural significance they used to possess.
He says cultural identity has been diluted by the new lifestyles that are exchanged due to interactions in urban areas. The diverse cultural practices eventually gives birth to a new modernised culture completely overcoming the one existing in our areas of origin.
“We are more than willing to keep our culture alive but the very people that we should be performing our cultural rituals, imparting traditional norms and values to, are nowhere to be found and we only meet them during funerals. The world has turned upside down and there are no heirs to our tradition and culture.”
Jacob maintains that respect of culture is the platform and foundation upon which development of villages can be undertaken.
Lydia Tlhalefo gives the issue a different picture. She states that first of all, people must appreciate that culture itself is dynamic and that culture is simply adapting to the lifestyle that the cost of living drives one to.
“In the era of economic hardships, we are left with no alternative but to discard our identity a bit, bury our past and explore new ways of surviving in this competitive world.
“We should not be living in our rural areas while we know we cannot survive there.” However, she expressed the importance of atleast holding meetings in towns by people from the same villages, to devise ways of developing their villages.
In most rural areas, Village Development Committees are not performing to satisfactory standards and elders attributes this to shortage of the youth in such committees, who could impart fresh ideas to help develop the villages.
