Culture of graffiti slowly gaining ground!
Friday, February 04, 2011
This culture is slowly gaining ground in Botswana society. Spray markings that commonly appear on road signs and culverts bear testimony to the presence of this culture in our society. To an ordinary man such markings would not make sense and can be quickly dismissed as a source of irritation. For the authors of such writings however, a rich meaning and message lies hidden.Ali Baleseng argues that, "This is now becoming a common sight in our society, mostly among the youth. This is a typical example of the extent to which our culture has been displaced by foreign cultures through the process of cultural diffusion. This culture of graffiti is now the in-thing in so far as the youth are concerned."
He contends that this graffiti culture is intertwined with culture of gangsters. "Normally a gang will use some form of graffiti to express its presence or influence in a society. The gangs announce their presence in this manner in a territory. The graffiti culture may be a testimony to the fact that our youth are slowly but surely adopting a culture of gangsters. It is evidence of the presence and operations of gangs amongst our youth," he explains.
Unfortunately, petty thieves tend to be more vicious around this time as they also prepare for the festive season. Culturally, many Batswana go home for the holiday, and petty thieves are amongst those who go home. Burglaries, car break-ins, and attacks on unsuspecting pedestrians seem to be on the rise!That is not all, as scammers continue to take money from pensioners as well as other Batswana who may fall prey to their unscrupulous tactics....