Mmakgodumo Festival starts Friday

Maureen Odubeng | Thursday October 8, 2015 14:53

The cultural festival, in its third year, promises to be bigger and better, and to cater for a diverse audience. The event, which goes by the theme “Ngwao Yame Mokgabo Wame” seeks to revive Ngwaketse culture through edutainment, which includes music, poetry, dance, dikgahela, mephato, and display of traditional machinery, used in a variety of traditional chores.

Mmakgodumo Heritage and Cultural Festival publicity director, Osenotse Mabote, explained this year the event will start on Friday with an urban night born fire, featuring DJs Sly, Crespo, and others. The Friday event will also feature motswako artist, HT Tautona, at Mmakgodumo Dam. Mabote said for this year, organisers have set-up a campsite where families and individuals can rent space for P150.00 a day, and enjoy activities as well as the scenery.

The event will be a build-up to the main one, which will take place on Saturday, still at Mmakgodumo Dam. The Saturday event will be packed with cultural activities, among them presentation of different Ngwaketse regiments. Mabote explained that the three different regiments, namely: Maabakgomo (1961-1963), Matlotlakgosi (1964-1969), and Maakapula (1970-1975) will grace the event riding horses. Kgosi Malope II of Bangwaketse will lead the Matlotlakgosi regiment.

Mabote said the event would also feature displays of different Setswana machinery and equipment, some of which were no longer in use. The displays will include presentation of dikgahela, ox-drawn sledges, diboana and dirala. Schoolchildren have been invited to the main event so that they could learn Sengwaketse culture. Mabote explained that traditional food would be on sale, as the event also seeks to empower small businesses and encourage self-employment.

He said Kgosikgolo Malope II would give welcome remarks, while Kgosi Kitso Kelosiwang will give a talk on Ngwaketse culture and heritage.  The guest speaker for event will be Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Thapelo Olopeng.

The event throughout the day will feature performances by Gong Master, Ngwao Boswa, Segankure player Kobamo Mogweotsile, and Honey Polka Group. The show will also feature poet, Tshepang Kemmifhile, reciting a praise poem about Kgosikgolo Malope II, and other poets.

The Sunday programme will start with a soccer game featuring Ga-Ngwaketse councillors and dikgosi. The game will be followed by a jazz show, which will be headlined by Thabang Garogwe. The show will also feature Ocean Blues. The event is sponsored by Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Culture, The Savannah, and Bathoeng II Trust.