Gantsi promises mouthwatering meat fest

Leinanyana Tsiane | Thursday July 10, 2014 14:56

Organiser Greg Losibe told Mmegi that for this year’s festival 10 animals will be slaughtered as compared to seven last year. There will also be a variety of meat dishes from the same animals.

“This is a project to me and not an event because it is something that I want to see grow. It is a brand for meat hub in Gantsi where we are going to see meat in abundance in one place,” Losibe said.

He also promised that the festival would be done professionally, with a chef supervising and monitoring meat handlers and the preparation of the meat. Also the volunteers who will be in charge of cooking and other aspects of meat handling have gone for a medical check-up as part of the health and safety requirement.

Losibe said the festival is to showcase the importance of animals in this part of Botswana, showing people that a raw materials’ industry, such as leather, hooves and horns, can be economically viable in Gantsi.

He said by promoting meat in Gantsi it would be an opportunity for Batswana to identify and develop interest to invest in what is unique in the area. He added that though a ban has been imposed on game hunting, some have invested in game farming which has made it easier to get a good supply of game meat.

So, the festival has catered for that, with game meat such as eland, kudu, impala, warthog and beef, mutton and goat meat on offer.

Losibe added that there would also be Badisa competition, where cattle herders will showcase their skills from slaughtering an animal to skinning, dislocating, scraping the hooves to cooking pounded meat (seswaa).

The competition will be permanent in the annual event, something he hopes will professionalise the herding sector like rodeos of the West.

Losibe sees this competition also as a way to ensure that cattle herders impart their skills and knowledge to the youngsters, especially as today’s youth seem to be uninterested in the trade.

Entertainment will also be a key element of the day, with different cultural groups playing Sesarwa, Sekgalagadi, Setswana and Seherero music.

Losibe said bringing different groups was to showcase types of music genre from this part of the country.