Xere calls
A heavily loaded cultural festival is to take off next weekend in the Village of Xere, a settlement in the south of Rakops.
This month, the village of Xere is coming alive, courtesy of the inaugural Xere cultural festival. An extravaganza that promises to set the tone for events in the Boteti area, the event will be held on September 15th and 16th. The event seeks to celebrate the culture and heritage of the community of Xere and it is organised by Xere Conservation Trust. Xere is located 14km south of Rakops, and has 400 residents. A first for the village, the highlights to look forward to will include animal trekking, cultural exhibition, quad bikes, game drives, as well as sundowners.
Speaking during a press briefing held on Tuesday this week, organisers shared with the media what guests will experience next week.
This event is looking to take advantage of the growing cultural and adventure tourism that has been growing exponentially in Botswana. It is evident that this type of tourism can positively contribute towards the tourism sector and destination diversification, says organisers.
The primary objectives of this event include the establishment of a campsite between Rakops and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve ( CKGR) which will empower communities by way of creating employment. It also intends to develop and showcase culture and heritage programs for the Xere settlement thus developing human capacity and helping them to manage their socio economic programs as well as sustainably conserve their natural resources.
Xere settlement is uniquely located to deliver a fun filled event that will allow revellers to indulge in what the environment has to offer such as the flora and fauna, various depressions and a variety of wildlife of the CKGR.
The event Coordinator, Rapula Kegopilwe explained that on the first day of the event which is Friday, guests will have a chance to chase sunsets in the Makgadikgadi pans,
and have sundowners. An experience that will give them a breath- taking view of the pans, he adds that guests will be treated to a picnic.
Day two of the event will start off with a Game Drive at 0500hrs. “Xere is located 35km from CKGR, and guests will have a full experience. For adventure lovers, they can also experience animal trekking, this is a limited experience,” he points out noting that the trekking expedition will be led by experienced Basarwa trekkers.
Calling on revellers to come early and book, he also points out that other activities will include quad bikes in the pans, where guests can ride into the wilderness and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Other activities will include a cultural exhibition, where the Basarwa culture will be displayed. For those who wish to consult, they too will have a chance to consult with a traditional doctor. “Other highlights will include learning about how Basarwa make their beadwork, as well as how they make their protein supplements from the abundant medicinal trees in the area,” he says.
For those who wish to enjoy traditional cuisine, that too will be available, with Game meat in abundance, as well as traditional Basarwa beer.
On Saturday evening, he explains that guests will be treated to a traditional song and dance celebration. Offering a full- on experience, he notes that this will be an epic production that will be offering traditional song and dance in a whole new light. “Guests will experience theatre in a big production,” he says.
Groups that are slated to perform will include groups from neighbouring villages such as Kedia, Kaudwane, as well six groups from Xere. Also happening during the two- day event is an urban festival featuring artists such as Dr Vom, Sereetsi & the Natives, as well as Mpho Sebina.
According to the Chairperson of the Trust, Tshiamo Nkalape, issues that affect residents of the area include unemployment, as well as teenage pregnancy. The village was formerly recognised in 2002. One of the inspirations for trying to find ways to earn a living for the residents is the fact that the area has abundant medicinal trees and intangible culture. The trust was allocated three plots, with one converted into a community farm/ tshimo, and the others reserved for a cultural village. “In 2017, we received a 450 000 grant from the Small Grant Programme to develop the cultural village,” he explains. But they noticed that the money would not be enough to allow them to do what they wanted to do, hence they decided to build five traditional huts, two of them reserved for the beadwork makers, and the traditional doctor.