Men who have been to Bogwera neither kill nor commit suicide - claim

Encouraging children to attend traditional initiation school can help curb social ills plaguing the country, spokesperson of Maphalaola-a-Pitse Association in Ramotswa, John Moremi has said.Moremi says the country needs to return to its roots because society has decayed, and things are worsening daily.“I have never heard of a man who graduated under Bogwera cultural practice killing anyone and going on to kill himself. At initiation school, we teach them everything about controlling their emotions and how to handle issues in a mature manner.Moremi says boys and girls are roaming the streets, abusing alcohol and snorting drugs. Men are busy butchering women without care and wives are abandoning husbands and children.“Thus, I advise all parents to allow their children to participate in initiation schools. What we are currently witnessing is parents failing to control their children. Age regiments can assist in bringing one of their own in line whenever they veer off,” Moremi says.He says culture is important as it brings people together and gives them an identity. This is why when they go for Bogwera and Bojale, they allow any interested person to be part of the group regardless of their place of origin.He urges Batswana to learn and appreciate the good that comes with teaching members of the society the importance of culture.Dinah Itumeleng, a lecturer at the University of Botswana, Department of African Languages and Literature, agrees with Moremi that culture needs to be preserved.She says Balete are among the few tribes still holding onto the Bojale and Bogwera culture in the country and she applauds them for it.“Culture is a way of life but if we allow it to die, we will lose it forever because we will not be able to pass it to the younger generation,” she says.Itumeleng says some people shun Setswana culture and are busy chasing foreign cultures. She notes that when someone says they are not well and consult a traditional doctor, they get a disapproving eye.Traditional doctors have been reduced to witches and not healers as it was the case in the past.“All this is happening because we are running after a culture that is not ours. I urge Batswana to jealously guard their culture and prevent it from eroding.“I remember that when studying abroad, my lecturer likened polygamy to prostitution. She expected me to agree with what she was saying, but I told her that what she said was not true.“I stood firm and defended my culture. I wish all of us could protect our culture enough instead of assisting foreigners to walk all over it”.The UB lecturer says it pains her to see the young generation holding foreign cultures in high regard compared to Setswana. She says she quivers when she gets addressed as O’lady or ‘mothers’ and not ‘Mme.’“Why are we not respecting our Setswana language? Parents are even proud when their children are not fluent in Setswana. They see it as okay but worry a lot when a child cannot pronounce an English word!”

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Men who have been to Bogwera neither kill nor commit suicide - claim