Alcohol is part of our culture - Kgosikgolo Mosadi

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Wednesday April 7, 2010 00:00

She did not. The Kgosi, who also  appears on billboards this week as one of the shining lights cautioning the Botswana society against irresponsible drinking, was  a guest speaker at the launch of  Botswana Alcohol Industry Association(BAIA) at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC).

The BAIA is made up of  six alcoholic beverages suppliers in Botswana namely: Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL), Distell Botswana, Botswana Breweries (BB), Heineken International, Namibia Breweries and Diageo. At a time when government has upped its battle against alcohol abuse by  hiking prices, the Kgosi  came  up  with  a different solution to the problem by  calling for stronger family values and stricter child upbringing.

Kgosikgolo Mosadi did not address the government either, or its initiatives towards fighting the problem,  as if the government has no business meddling in anti-alcohol abuse. Instead  the Ramotswa leader singled out parents as the root causes of under-age drinking and alcohol abuse.She also seemed to see something good about the alcohol industry, choosing to single out their  changing advertising message, which now promotes responsible drinking. According to  the Kgosi, the breweries are not  chasing profits  through deceiving advertising and messages at the expense of the nation.'I have begun to see  changes  in the way alcohol is spoken about. Drinking responsibly is being promoted.'

According to Kgosikgolo Mosadi  it all starts in the family with parents guiding their children and  raising them as well-groomed children.  'Parents need  to be  cautious of the  impact of their  drinking  behaviour on their children. They need to behave  responsibly as role models and shinning examples for the benefit of their children.'

With so much government campaigns currently going as far as painting alcohol as evil, Kgosikgolo Mosadi  presented perfect, spiritual, social  and cultural roles that alcohol has traditionally played in Tswana societies since time immemorial.  Kgosikgolo  Mosadi says even in the  good old days  there was alcohol.  'It is not a creation of the youth, or modern society...bojalwa jwa setso has been part of  Setswana  celebrations going back  to  the distant past.'Mosadi said about  the traditional beer in particular: 'Its preparation is  a ritual itself. For the  best brew, only  the very best sorghum is chosen...traditionally it is prepared by women...when it is ready  to be served; there is ululation, song and dance.'

'Sometimes a little is spilt on the ground, a ritual  meant to appease the ancestors,' Kgosikgolo Mosadi continued.  The traditional leader says  traditional beer is served at joyful times like weddings or during  cultural ceremonies that unify the tribe.  'Sometimes members of the community  who come to till the land are rewarded with traditional beer as a token of appreciation,' the Kgosi went on.

However,  the Kgosi alluded to the adverse effects of alcohol abuse  in the Botswana society today saying alcohol has been cited  as the cause of  road accidents, the spread of HIV and violence. 'I  know it can alter  a person's character, so that a person who  we all know  to be shy and quiet, can be transformed  into an entertaining story teller who can  keep a  room full of people up  the whole night.

'I am not against alcohol when taken in moderation. It is the effects of overindulgence that trouble me. It is the abuse by  both adults and young people that gives me sleepless nights,' the Kgosi  said.

She also appealed to the alcohol industry to help traditional leaders  with resources  that they can use to  take the message of responsible drinking to the people; and they obliged when she was presented with a public address kit she will be using to address Kgotla meetings.