In Chobokwane, nine girls have graduated from a tradition that teaches far more than dance. The Dúù programme is keeping San knowledge alive while giving women and girls new ways to shape their future.
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a world racing towards the next big thing, nine San girls in the Ghanzi District are learning the value of something that must never go out of style: ancestral knowledge.
On Friday, 30 October, Chobokwane became a meeting point for tradition and tomorrow as the Family Support Centre celebrated the second annual Dúù Dance graduation, supported by Palms for Life Fund. But this was no ordinary graduation. The lessons went beyond steps and songs; they were about identity, womanhood, healing and keeping a culture breathing across generations.
MORE THAN A DANCE
Dúù, the Naro word for eland, is a traditional learning practice through which older San women pass down knowledge and life skills to younger generations. Think of it as a living classroom where cultural memory is taught through movement, music and shared wisdom.
The programme brought together 68 women and nine girls from Chobokwane, New Xanagas, East Hanahai and West Hanahai.
“The Dúù Dance Ceremony is an important cultural preservation and intergenerational knowledge-transfer initiative aimed at ensuring that traditional knowledge, practices and values are passed on from elderly women to younger generations,” said Family Support Centre representative Onkemetse Maruping in an interview.
Nine girls graduated, while nine women trained as Dúù Dance Mothers to help sustain the practice. Two traditional healers and seven knowledge holders contributed to training covering traditional medicine, cultural norms, songs and dances.
ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE MEETS AI
Preserving tradition does not mean rejecting the future. Graduates participated in artificial intelligence training, exploring how technology could help preserve and promote Indigenous cultures.
Women also discussed income-generating opportunities, employment and grants for Indigenous women-led groups.
Palms for Life’s Larona Lekgabe said the organisation was proud to support the programme as part of its commitment to protecting Indigenous cultural knowledge alongside its broader social development work with San communities in Botswana.
The initiative connects cultural preservation with practical opportunities for women and girls to shape their futures.