I reckon that nowhere in Botswana is this more evident than in borankana, the traditional dance of our country. This dance is more than just apparel, rhythm, and perspiration. This dance is really a mirror held up to ourselves and our nation. It prompts us to see one of our cultural practices as being both mundane and interesting. It also helps us observe how an ordinary public performance can transform itself into a micro narrative about our nation's soul. Understood this way, even if a particular borankana dance is not a great one qualitatively, for what it represents, it will always be an unforgettable performance.
The traits of borankana are vibrant costumes often in leather, rhythmic footwork, and the energetic movements of its dancers’ hips and upper body. The costumes are often traditional attire overlaid with feathers and beads. During its performance, the dancer's feet are stamped and shuffled to create a dance pattern, which often imitates daily domestic chores such as ploughing, cooking, the movement of livestock, etc. Unlike in typical African traditional dances whose music relies a lot on drums, accompanying the footwork and bodily movements of borankana is music that relies extensively on clapping, women’s vocal melody and harmony, and the percussive sound of rattles.
