Botswana Culture GuideLearn more about Botswana People, Botswana food...and more below..
Is Botswana Culture complex and difficult to understand? Yes and no. Let me explain... If this is your first visit it might take you some time to understand Batswana (singular is Motswana). But if you get a few crucial culture pointers before your visit, you wont have any problem relating to the locals. ...And this is what this page is all about...understanding the culture of Botswana. Since culture is a broad and diverse subject, i am going share with you only those parts of Botswana culture that i feel you need to know and understand... These include:
If there are any other parts of our culture you would like me to clarify , feel free to let me know here... Lets begin... Etiquette - A concept called "Botho" in BotswanaBotho is Botswana's fifth National Principle and it defines a process of earning respect by first giving it, and to gain empowerment by empowering others. Botho includes positive attributes expected of a human being such as respect,good manners,compassion,helpfulness,politeness and humility. This principle plays an important role in the way Batswana interact in society. In South Africa it is known as Ubuntu... Below are a few examples of Botho that will be highly appreciated by the locals ...
Botswana PeopleBotswana is made up of different tribes . Each tribe has adopted a "not so evident culture" of its own. However ,overall cultures are very similar from tribe to tribe. This is because even though we may be from different tribes, we still consider ourselves Batswana and the Botswana culture is what has molded our own individual tribal cultures... Language Setswana is the most spoken native language. However almost every tribe has its own language that is sometimes very similar to Setswana. English is spoken and understood by many people the majority of them living in the urban settlements. Botswana FoodThe food in Botswana is very diverse. From fast food restaurants to ones that specialize in Italian, Indian and local cuisine...we have them all. Among the locals ,home cooked traditional food seems to be the favorite. Step into any Botswana home and i bet that they will be having our old time favorite dish of "bogobe, nama and morogo"....at least twice a week! The bogobe is made from sorghum or maize, nama is meat (could be goat,cow,lamb or wild animal meat) and morogo is a green leafy veggie that looks like spinach... Now this dish and others have been served for centuries in Botswana and are still being served today as they were by our ancestors... Next time while on your safari, ask the chef for the "paleche, nama and morogo dish..." , you wont regret it ..., trust me on this one ;-)... LifestyleYour typical Botswana family has 3 homes and lifestyles... 1.The first is the modern home in the large towns or cities... This is where they work , kids go to school and where the families spend most of their time. 2.The second is the Home village , referred to as "ko Gae" in Setswana... Usually this is where they were raised or where their parents or grandparents were born and raised... Activities at the home village include rearing of goats and subsistence farming where crops like maize,sweet reed and sorghum are grown as well as ground nuts ,sweet potato, water melon and others... The crops are grown in the rainy season when water is abundant enough to support the farming. Most Batswana visit the home village over the Christmas holidays. This is usually the time when people are off work for a few days and families get together... 3.The Cattle post (Known as Moraka in setswana) This is where cattle and sometimes goats and sheep are reared. Almost every family in Botswana has a cattle post... This is because cattle are not only a symbol of wealth , but also a source of livelihood for Batswana. They are the main source of meat during celebrations as well as funerals...and are usually sold to the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) to source money... Activities at the cattle post usually include hunting, cattle branding and vaccinating. People,(often men and boys) visit the cattle post on weekends and public holidays... For locals the cattle post is the main getaway place for fresh air away from all the busy and fast life in town. Botswana Culture activities to look out for while on Safari
There are some attractions that exhibit ancient Botswana culture that are worth visiting....Some of these date as far back as 650 AD! Among them are the...
Botswana Culture Exhibitions at Museums...Museums are also rich in Botswana culture education. Below are my favorite museums...
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