Loud chanting- swirling dusts, and many dancing. This weekend the group of us were treated to a display of Tswana heritage. Parking the van, we were immediately reached by festive songs and the stamping of dancing feet coming from just outside the village walls. Quickly we saw the whole gathering, from grandparents to grandchildren, awaiting our arrival.  We were welcomed into a village specifically designed to represent many of the country's original and unique traditions, ranging from home remedies for illness, to the daily routine of preparing the morning sorghum meal.

Women in Some Traditional Dress Grinding Sorghum, Picture by Adam Cruz

More recent happenings include our visit to a local secondary school, a Kgotla, and a few Non-governmental organizations. It was wonderful for us to be able to visit a local school. Sometimes it is amazing to see how a seemingly small detail can stay with our group; for days after coming back, there were some of us still commenting on the Art program and how beautiful the student pieces were.
It was inspiring to hear, first-hand, from organizations like BONELA (Botswana Network on Ethics, Law, and HIV/AIDS) and BONEPWA (Botswana Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS) and how much they are doing to help the people around them.
To visit and see a local Kgotla, a judicial building for members of a community to settle disputes in, gives a new and definite sense behind everything we are learning about each piece of this country's culture, especially considering the importance, as well as uniqueness, that resides within this facet of the nation. This may appear as a consistent theme in this blog, as it should be, because it truly is why we are here: to witness the life behind each word, fact, and statistic.


Will write more soon. The group is really looking forward to visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe this weekend!