Goshwe is the place to be!

Ike Vavi
Correspondent | Friday April 9, 2010 00:00

The greenish mophane shrubs that are still fresh from the recent   rains that have hit this area in the past weeks pave and sandwich the otherwise dusty and   bumpy road that takes one to this place.  This is an approximately 20km stretch from Tutume village.  The bleating of the goats and the mooing of cows also punctuate the atmosphere in this area. This is coupled with the whistling from the people as they drive their animals' home after a day's grazing outing by the animals.

Two women pass by riding bicycles. The speed at which the bicycles are moving forces me to look at my companion, a resident of this village, in amazement. Suddenly a very strong smell hits our vehicle. We are forced to close all the windows. 'There must be a snake somewhere nearer,' my companion says and before he puts a full stop to his remark, a very big snake quickly dashes in front of the   vehicle forcing me to apply the emergency breaks as my companion urges me not to run over it.  Though convincingly afraid and shaking, I put up a brave face. As we arrive at the village, one thing becomes clear. This is a typical Tswana village. It is a village that bears the scars of modernity as it boasts of a primary school and secondary school.  Modern houses that boast of tiles and iron sheets can also be seen flashing through the thick mophane shrubs that undoubtedly has a heavy presence in this village.  Another reality is that this is a village that continues to display the ability to welcome and embrace modernity and at the same time retain its traditional socio- economic patterns of lifestyle.

It is already dark as we arrive at my host's place. It is a compound that has two nice Tswana houses', something that seems to be common in this place as even in compounds where there are modern houses one can count about one or two tswana huts. My host introduces me to his parents and informs them about the reason for my visit.

The old woman sends a boy to the neighbours' yards. 'Please tell them that we have some visitors.' Within a blink of an eye the neighbours are littering the compound. Handshakes become a compulsory exercise for quite sometime. They are then informed that I have come to buy a goat. This revelation is received with smiles as a sign of appreciation from those gathered here. The small boy is also instructed to go and look for the goats. 'Look for Rramokhutswe (meaning the short one - the name given to this goat because of its height) in particular,' the old lady advises the one boy who is sitting by the fire and busy blowing the oxygen through his mouth into the fire that seems to be giving him a headache. The boy is quickly swallowed by mophane trees that surround the homestead.

After a while, the boy resurfaces with the goats. Unfortunately 'Rramokhutswe' is not amongst them. A strong team comprising of my host and the neighbours is quickly assembled and called into action. I am left dumbfounded by the unity and the spirit of neighbourliness that seem to characterise the working relations here.

After a relatively lengthy search' one of the men arrives with the poor animal running innocently in front of him.The animal's throat is in no time slit and the few kicks it manages to produce are not enough to save it.

Within some seconds the poor animal's body is lying lifelessly on a piece of iron sheet. Like vultures upon a dead animal, contingent of men land upon this animal as the process of skinning it begins.

One member of this group mesmerises me. Upon enquiring I am informed that he is only doing standard six at the local primary school. The boy is also taking part in the skinning process. His hands are moving at a lightning speed. 'Boy! Don't mess this meat. You need to be very careful as you deal particularly with the contents of the stomach,' one man advises. The boy simply nods with his head and continues with his work.

The boy is finally left alone to finish off the job. He begins to dissect the carcass as if he was doing a scientific experiment. When he was done with his experiment, the boy dashes to the old men and reports the progress.

One man quickly stands up and escorts the boy to go and do the inspection. This 'inspector' gives the work the thumbs-up and congratulates the boy for a job well done. 'This time you have done a better job than last time,' he says as he brushes the boy's head.

As we are busy loading the meat into the van, a young girl pitches up with a spade and a bottle container in her hands. She reveals that she has come to collect the charcoal to go and make fire at their homestead. 'My mother has also sent me to ask for sugar,' she says shyly. There are no further questions. The old woman of the compound gets into the hut and emerges from there with the bottle container full to the brim (with sugar). The young girl is also ordered to take the charcoal from the fire. She nicely kneels down, goes for one of the burning woods and uses it to drag the charcoal into the spade.

This exercise is coupled with the act of sneezing and closing of eyes as she fights the dark smoke that is bellowing from under the big pot that is on the fire.

As she thanks the old woman and slowly walks away with the spade and the sugar container in her hands, one thing becomes clear. Tswana lifestyle is still alive. It is this tswana lifestyle that has for over the years held the communities together. Although this communal life is now under siege from the individualism (under the pretext of modernity), it has managed to hold its own, as its traces are still evident, at least in places such as this one. As I shake hands with my host and the neighbours, an old woman arrives.

She is walking at a snail's pace with one of her hands above her eyes, a clear sign that she is stretching her eyesight beyond its limit. We all begin a chorus of greetings. She greets us one by one before she reveals that she cannot locate her goats. Two men are dispatched to go and look for the old woman's goats. I admire the philosophy of 'love thy neighbour as thy self' that seem to be the norm in this place. 

I bid this loving people good-bye and drive away.  I have been impressed by the kind of unity and cooperation that has been displayed by these people.  I am also convinced that this is the kind of lifestyle that will surely help Goshwe village to contribute meaningfully to the realisation of the nation's Vision 2016 particularly the pillar that advocate for a proud and united nation.