Botswana Culture Impacted By Modern Living �Mosojane
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday June 5, 2017 17:14
She revealed this during the International Day of Families commemoration, which was held at Tonota Primary School grounds.
Mosojane, who was speaking on the impact of cultural diversity on families, said they are emerging from a background of very strong families, which were guided by powerful cultural norms, which promoted victory over all of life’s challenges.
“There is evidence that those who pioneered education in this country by travelling to Tigerkloof and other learning institutions within the region, were grounded in solid cultural values and practical life skills,” she said.
She added that in these circumstances education produced a well-rounded person who could survive all of life’s storms.
Mosojane said from the cradle to the grave, culture had taught them skills, which were not in any school curriculum. She gave examples such as anger management and emotional wisdom, integrity and dignity together with work ethics and productivity.
She said the above examples demonstrated that education only enhanced or maximised the individual’s capacity to respond to the call of life in an excellent and competitive manner.
Mosojane said culture in the olden days families laid a firm foundation of cultural values, norms and the education system empowered livelihoods of different societies.
She indicated that back then, the education system received children from strong families with a rich cultural base, which promoted not only learning with a purpose but also moral values.
She said as they commemorate the day of families they must strive to raise a generation that is culturally sensitive to the purpose of life as early as possible.
“In other words, we cannot afford to confine culture to our dances, leteisi and kabu (yes they are part of our culture no doubt) but more than that as a society we need to take a closer look at our culture and pick those cultural values and norms that can promote the wellbeing of our community at all levels,” she said.
She added that choosing cultural values, which could sustain growth, can be achieved through their Dikgotla, which could build morally upright families towards 2036.
Mosojane said nowadays most youth go to schools without the firm foundation of cultural input, which should come from families because clans have been weakened by single parenthood and youthful parenting.
She said bringing up children as single parents, for instance, women are the most affected and have to find means of supporting their families.
She stated some of the women are self-employed and have to leave as early as five in the morning without guarantee that their children are ready for school.
Mosojane further said such situations show that there is lack of parental guidance and child protection.
Moreover, women’s responsibilities have shifted but they need to change and take good care of their children so that they can be reliable and make the right choices in future.
She said youthful parenting also affected the upbringing of children as both the mother and grandmother would still be partygoers and tend to abandon their responsibility towards the taking care of children on domestic workers.
Mosojane said such situations-of lack of parental supervision- faced by children could drive them to make wrong choices in life.
She said some of the new developments, which have impacted culture, include blended families and increased break-up of families through divorces.
Mosojane said through her 20 years’ experience working in customary courts, she observed that the mentioned elements impact the social development of the youth.
She indicated that a lot of youth in the present days lack skills of anger management and they are easily provoked into violence by small issues both at school and in the family.
She concluded that there is a need for deliberate strategies to renew their culture so that its values can impact individuals at all levels.
Mosojane said all stakeholders must address emerging crossroads culture in order to draw maximum benefit from their beautiful culture.
She gave an example that churches must evangelise to restore aspects of culture that promote purposeful living and peace.