The Botswana Society seeks recognition
Mpho Tlale | Wednesday September 17, 2014 12:18
Mmusi said that TBS has been in existence since 1969, but a lot of Batswana are still not aware of it, confuse it with other organisations or simply think it is a society for old learned people who want to write books.
“A lot of people mistake The Botswana Society with some other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO). They get mislead by the name The Botswana Society and believe it is incomplete. They believe it should be Botswana Society for something,” she said.
She added that TBS is the oldest indigenous NGO in Botswana.
Mmusi said the mandate of the organisation is to preserve and promote culture and heritage. She said that the fact that for the longest time volunteers ran the society might be a contributing factor to the lack of exposure.
She said that they hope to turn the society around as it currently has full time staff to manage the daily running of the organisation.
The project manager said that their main focus is to get the youth interested in what they have to offer. She stated that they put their focus on the youth because they have realised that they are more knowledgeable on other countries than their own.
Mmusi said the aim is to get the youth involved in excursions that might interest them.
“We want the youth to celebrate being Batswana more than just being African. We want them to be fully equipped with knowledge on their country,” she said.
Mmusi added that they have partnered with Bathoen Trust to drive some of the excursions. She said that they have also a started a tour of Gaborone city, which begins at the museum and covers places such as the Main Mall, Government Enclave and Old Naledi among others.
She explained that the sole purpose of the tour is to show people the transition from pre-independence to where Gaborone is now.
In addition, she said that they are also planning some activities including poetry nights as well as partnering with youth-oriented organisations in the quest to let Batswana know and appreciate the society.