Culture preservation can save marriages
Lindiwe Mozola | Wednesday March 4, 2015 10:56
Tshireletso was speaking at a culture event organised by Dikgosi at Monarch Customary Court on Friday. She said the status of marriage nowadays is not valued and that is why there are many divorces.
She added that as the government, they have now realised that cultural norms and beliefs are being eroded by modern developments such as cohabitation and reckless spending habits, which result in a high rate of divorce cases, moral decay and crime.
She said that ‘unblessed marriages’ have become a norm in today’s generation as many couples around hire fake uncles to be their witnesses without the knowledge of their parents. “Marriage of that nature is bound to fail, how can one marry without their parents’ blessing? This is just a disgrace and cannot be tolerated in our culture,” she said.
She pointed out an accusing finger at people who take lobola (bride price) as a business by demanding thousands of Pula, whereas in the past lobola was meant to be a token of appreciation to the bride’s family.
“Malatsing a okare go tla nna le bogodunyana moteng (Nowadays it seems like there are rip offs). The bride price is now determined by the education level of the bride, which was not the case in the past,” Tshireletso revealed.
She further said cultural preservation is very important in instilling norms and values on the coming generations.
“In that case, Dikgosi are very instrumental by virtue of their roles as custodians of culture,” she said. She also praised President Ian Khama, for not taking the backseat on the issue of Botswana culture diminishing. Through culture, Tshireletso said the President has managed to unite the nation.
“We can now see cultural exchange through competitions, dance and song such as Polka, Tsutsube and Hosanna. We are lucky to have a President who is also a Kgosi,” she said.
Tshireletso also applauded the youth for adhering to the President’s advice of using culture to earn a living. Member of Parliament for Francistown East, Buti Billy, echoed Tshireletso’s words. He said culture must be documented for future generations, explaining that failure to do so will result in its extinction. “Our culture is very beautiful and we need to preserve it for our children and by so doing it will enable them to see culture and transition as a link to their past and a pointer to their future,” Billy said.