“Nowadays Setswana culture is influenced by the western one, but what disheartening is that they do not copy properly” Gaborone.
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
FRANCISTOWN: Chairman of House of Chiefs, Kgosi Puso Gaborone has condemned parents for failing to discourage their children from cohabiting. Speaking at Culture Day commemorations, the disappointed Gaborone said while the Setswana culture is against cohabitation, many unmarried youth continue to live together because parents encourage the practise.
“We continue to see youngsters practicing cohabitation because parents are failing to take their responsibility of guiding their children. This alone is an indication that somehow parents were not raised properly, because if indeed they were raised according to Setswana culture, there is no how they can give their children the green light to stay together before marriage. Parents should take responsibility and raise their children in the Setswana culture so they differentiate our culture from western one, which is mostly adopted by our children,” he said.
Gaborone stated that while they appreciate that culture is dynamic, Batswana should not leave everything that define them. What is disheartening the most, according to Gaborone, is that Batswana copy other cultures and fail to practice them wisely:
“Nowadays Setswana culture is influenced by the western one, but what is disheartening is that they do not copy properly,” said Gaborone, adding that Batswana should desist from copying other cultures.
Gaborone however attributed cohabitation to lack of cultural education, “Failure by the parents to teach their children from an early age is one aspect that contributes to Batswana losing their culture. Parents should take responsibility and know that cultural education is the backbone of our culture,” he said.