Proud Motswana

Kietiile Koloi, a proud Motswana said every year he likes to showcase what his heritage entails, but said more has to be done to improve cultural diversity in South Africa.

Kietiile who is also a member of Medi Ya Koma, a Batswana group that performs annually at the Randfontein Show, said it is important to have more platforms to keep the various African heritages alive.

I love what my heritage is all about. I love how we express ourselves and the rituals we do. There is much to be admired about Batswana people,” Kietiile said.

When it comes to traditional dances, some are performed when people are mourning, and others signify joy and happiness.

“Unfortunately, people do not know much about our tradition, they only see us dance. They never bother to educate themselves about what the culture is about,” Kietiile said.

He said people do not know enough about each other’s heritage and attributed the problem to the lack of opportunities to showcase the various cultures.

“This ultimately robs African people of opportunities to share beautiful customs.” Kietiile went on to say the only time he gets to showcase his heritage is when his group performs at the annual Randfontein Show, or at other cultural events on rare occasions.

I personally would like to know more about the Zulu and Xhosa, speak their languages reasonably well and know their origins. I believe we as African people are all interlinked and originate from the same lineage.”

He added that regrettably, he only speaks English, Afrikaans and Setswana.

“It is embarrassing because there are people who can speak five to seven indigenous languages, while I can’t. It is important to respect our origins because we, as Africans, need to know where our roots lie so that when we do our rituals, we appease our ancestors in a proper manner and never forget who we are.”