Mochudi Cultural Weekend

It’s so weird to think I’ve been in Bots for half a month already! I feel like I just arrived, but so much has happened in the last week and a half. Mark and the other interns flew back to Canada on Friday, so we made sure to see them off in style on Thursday at NewsCafe, an ultra-chic lounge/bar not too far from our flat. It was a bit sad to see them go, but I know they have an exciting journey ahead of themselves, and they will likely be back in Bots in the not-too-distant future.

On Saturday my friend, Andrew Modiga, from the hospice invited the four of us to his hometown of Mochudi to watch the cultural initiation ceremonies of the Bakgatla tribe. Andrew’s friend Kabelo, who I had met earlier at the intern going away party, picked us up, along with his friend, Archie. We went on a wild-goose chase to find a cooler pack for our beer, which turned out to be unnecessary, considering it wasn’t really appropriate to drink at the festival, and we only arrive at 2:30 pm, and festivities were wrapping up around 4:30. It was really nice to get out Gabs for the day, since the city is so urban and modern, and I have so many Canadian and expat friends in the neighbourhood, I almost forget I’m in Africa. When we arrived at the cultural centre, there was a large group of men from the Bakgatla regime assembling in a circular formation, chanting and marching in time. It sounded amazing, and was beautiful to watch, with each man holding a wooden staff with white and black ostrich feathers, and a cape made from an impala or other small deer-like creatures. Apparently this meant to replicate the method the tribe uses to hunt animals in a semi-circle, and close in on them. The men of the tribe go away from their village, and live off the land in the bush for two months, to learn how to be a “real man”. This ceremony was performed to formally recognize their return to the community. We also got to eat some traditional food, which was prepared in ways I’ve never seen before, but mostly they were familiar foods- beef, green peas, beans and pumpkin. We also took a quick look at some of the vendors’ crafts, cultural items and photography for sale. I noticed they had many large, hollowed-out gourds for drinking and storing water, and I couldn’t help but think I would like to get a set for the house- they would likely fair better than our dwindling glass collection!

Leigh, Archie and I, overlooking Mochudi

Work at the hospice has been interesting, but a little slow to get moving. Presently I’m reviewing some of the proposals Mark worked on, and meeting the hospice’s board members and the bishop of the Anglican church to discuss the strategic direction of the hospice’s future. There’s a lot of work on my end, but I’m excited and grateful to pretty much get free reign to develop my own ideas for fundraising strategies. I’m looking forward to establishing some long-term partnerships with local business in Botswana and possibly Southern Africa.

The kittens I see sleeping at the hospice every morning- too bad they're scared of people.