Revamped Kuru festival start at West Hanahai

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Thursday August 6, 2009 00:00

 

In comes a revamped version of the cultural festival, which is in the form of mini festivals held across San settlements, beginning with this weekends event at West Hanahai in the Gantsi District. Organisers say they expect up to 25 San cultural groups from all over the country to get together and share knowledge on cultural issues. The event will later move to a settlement called Qabo, also in the Gantsi District, while there is a possibility of hosting yet another cultural festival in Shakawe before the end of the year, according to Kuru Trust coordinator John Sikalera in Dkar.

 

 The end of the annual Kuru festival came after a resolution by the Kuru Trust board in November last year. Sikalera says they halted the annual event because it was complex and costly.  Last years Kuru Festival is said to have cost P400, 000. It was the largest ever and saw over 500 dancers coming from all over Southern Africa, representing at least 12 language groups.

 

'While reviewing these problems, sentiments were also raised by various communities and the dance groups themselves that the complexity came in because Kuru Family of Organisations had moved away from the original idea of letting the owners meet and share their cultural values, Sikalera added.  In view of these sentiments, a resolution was made to change the approach and instead host the festivals at different locations countrywide.

 

The communities themselves suggested that activities should take place in their settlements and rotated so that all communities and settlements could partake in the cultural dances, he explained in a written response.At the end of this year the communities are expected to meet and discuss the way forward for 2010. We as Kuru Family of Organisations, our interest is to uplift the livelihoods and interests of the San people in all areas that promote, empower and preserve their cultural heritages, values and traditions, Sikalera says.

 

In their statement, released about three months ago, the Kuru Trust chiefs decried that the Kuru Festival had deviated from its mandate of creating a conducive environment   for the San communities to gather and share cultural values. It was meant for the communities. But it has now attracted attention from many other groups, such as other Botswana citizens, representatives of the government and tour operators. The organisation of it has become so complex that it has taken many Kuru staff members away from their normal work for weeks, they said in the release.

 

Chairman of the Kuru Trust, Aaron Johannes, speaking in a phone interview from Dkar, blamed politics for the change in the status quo.

 

I do not believe there was any exploitation of the San communities. All the money came to us, as Kuru, but people alleged that the white people organising the festival used to line their pockets, he said.

 

He described the change as an experiment, which would be reviewed in due course. The game farm on which the activities traditionally take place is our property also, it does not belong to any white man.

 

Johannes said their organising committees have been inviting overseas tourists, adding that photographers and video companies would be charged reasonable fees as before.

 

Sikalera however says the San communities are worried that the annual activity has now become a tool of San exploitation. Tourists come here, some take pictures and videos to go and make money overseas, while the participating San groups are paid P1,000 after travelling long distances, and staying at the farm for several weeks, he said.He said although they do not expect a huge tourist turnout for the revamped festivals, Kuru Trust would pay the communities P 1,000 each this year.