Kweneng youth digitalise traditional dance
A group of youth in Molepolole have come together in a bid to revive and celebrate traditional Setswana cultural dance, and create a platform for collaborations among different traditional dance groups in the Kweneng region.
One of the masterminds of this newly formed platform, Pondie Alefeng, recently told Vibe that they want to give phatisi dance a re-thought definition and evolved face that many more young people would be willing to associate with. He explained that the idea is to digitalise Setswana tradition/ culture and document it, to ensure that it gets recognition not only across Botswana but also abroad. He said it was time to take Setswana native culture to the world. “We truly owe the world our beautifully rich and well-rooted culture,” he said.
He noted that this well-thought out idea came about after a long time of consideration and assessment. “We saw a need to collaborate as youth of Molepolole from different dance groups, with the intention to not compete but celebrate our culture and encourage young people to use their talent to make a living and also be proud of their indigenous culture and their tradition. We want to use this platform to network, motivate and uplift one another and help each other grow and evolve with the common passion of phathisi dance,” he said.
Alefeng, who is the founder and member of Dikokomane dance troupe, also popularly known for his brand, dubbed Sekwena, further explained that they were inspired by old groups such as Motshitshi wa suping/phala tsa setso and Dintshu tsa Malwelwe from the Kweneng, region, as well as the meaningfully profound words of the founding President of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama, who once famously said that ‘a nation without a culture is a lost nation.’
Alefeng noted that their fundamental principle, or goal, is to establish a dance academy that would not only train youngsters, but earn them a living as well. “We want to transform our talents into investments and institutions – as we continue on the path of cultural emancipation and transformation… The vision doesn’t begin and end here, locally, as we are also eyeing the international market and want to showcase our talent abroad to as many nations as possible.”