To the Bakalanga people, Domboshaba hill is what Mecca is to the Islamic world. Like pilgrims journeying to Mecca for a spiritual revival, Bakalanga people, both young and old, are this weekend expected to throng the Domboshaba hill for a cultural regeneration. The geographical site of Domboshaba was chosen as the host of the cultural festivities not by accident or some stroke of luck, but rather by its historical significance.
Archaeological evidence indicates that Domboshaba was once the administrative capital of an offshoot of the Empire of the Great Zimbabwe during the reign of Monomotapa. The place is believed to have been established in the 15th Century. What remains today as a constant reminder of the existence of the once mighty empire are the relics, such as stone walls, pottery pieces and grinding stones. Hence the place today is famously known as Domboshaba ruins. In fact, Domboshaba is one of the few places boasting relics of the stone building technology. Others are Kgame near Bulawayo and Musu in Botswana. According to Kangangwane Phatswane, the secretary of Domboshaba Cultural Organising Committee, Domboshaba was found to be the ideal venue for the event because of its rich history. If there are any people who seem to have attached a higher premium on Thabo Mbeki's African Renaissance, it is the Bakalanga people. These are a people who seem to have taken heed of the much-celebrated words of wisdom of Botswana's founding president Sir Seretse Khama who is famously known to have once observed that "a nation without a sense of recollection is a nation adrift, a people without a past is a people without a soul". Speaking to Mmegi on the significance of the day, Phatswane, who also sits on the board of trustees of Domboshaba Cultural Trust, had this to say: "The annual cultural show aims at developing and restoring among the Bakalanga a sense of pride and dignity in their past." He observed that Kalanga culture, just like the culture of any other people in Botswana and elsewhere in Africa, is under siege. "Our culture faces stiff and cut-throat competition from the outside world." He added that while he appreciates that no culture is static, it is, however, worrisome for any nation to be as gullible as to embrace alien cultures willy-nilly. By and large, Domboshaba Cultural Day endeavours to help the Bakalanga salvage whatever they can of their past.
