Of culture and relevance

But a few days ago, the young artists were called to the kgotla not to receive more praise for their production, but to be reprimanded and walloped in punishment. Their cardinal sin? The inclusion of bojale songs in their performance!

This is regrettable on many levels. When young people started to assume their rightful positions as magosi - rather than put off their coronation until they had attained the 'appropriate' age while regents held the fort, as had been the practice - we thought it was the dawn of a new era that came with the ushering in of modernisation of the institution of bogosi. For indeed bogosi was increasingly becoming an irrelevant relic from a distant past. Hence the younger royals of recent times encouraged - perhaps inadvertently - the hope that they would become the flag-bearers of change from within.