Baba Ba Mmala Trust (BBMT) have confirmed the date and venue for the return of the long-anticipated Son of the Soil Festival.
BBMT is a Trust established by a group of young Batswana to promote and preserve culture. BBMT annually present a memorable event encompassing ethnic local cuisine, cultural activities, games, dance, song, crafts, and poetry to celebrate our culture and our sense of pride as Batswana.
The thirteenth (13th) instalment of the Son of the Soil Festival will take place on Saturday, 02nd March 2019, at Serokolwane Lawns, North of Gaborone along the A1 road.
“This year theme is Kwa re go yang ÔÇô Re Ipela, as the Trust we believe that It’s a true reflection of a celebration of the uniqueness of our Botswana spirituality, the vitality and resilience of our spirit, culture and values,” says Kabelo Semele, Bana Ba Mmala Media Liaison.
SOTS patrons can expect a diverse line-up of talented musicians, poets, dancers, choral competitions, games and more. BBM will bring together members of the local community in the form of a workshop a day before the main event with a Jazz festival on Sunday 3rd March 2019 to wrap up the week.
“The event has grown from leaps and bounds and it is with great excitement that this year we bring an event that is not only appealing to Batswana, we also wish to acquaint the whole region with our rich culture,” Semele concluded.
Son of the Soil is an all-inclusive event suitable for the whole family and as a result, will bring a fusion of activities and entertainment from as early as 07.00hrs until late.
The annual event, ‘Son of the Soil’ cultural event was started in January 2005 in the village of Tlokweng. It was conceived, and is organised, by a group of youthful individuals known as Bana ba Mmala to relive, learn and enjoy Botswana culture.
The objectives of Bana ba Mmala Trust are; to continuously find innovative ways of engaging the youth and larger community around issues of culture in a bid to preserve and learn about our culture. To present well researched facts about the people of Botswana and theirculture in a format that will appeal to the youth and Batswana at large. To foster a sense of national pride and cultural identity and to leverage on cultural values and pride in order to assist the youth deal with the behavioural challenges of a modern and global world.
‘Son of The Soil’ is an event that encourages all attending to participate in the day’s activities and be part of an exciting cultural re-awakening.
Bana ba Mmala is a not-for-profit organisation and all the proceeds from the fundraising activities, including from Son of the Soil cultural festival, are used for cultural research.
Ban ba Mmala hasfunded research and packaging of Botswana culture into chewable chunks. Some of the research funded was the documenting of Setswana games (including modern ones), the documentation of old Setswana poetry, the packaging of tribal histories into three paragraph versions, the documentation of the Setswana attire and the packaging of Botswana dances.
“We have also used any extra money that we generate as donation to a cause that we select each year. We have assisted in the establishment of a cultural day and annual marathon in Letlhakeng in the Kweneng administration district,we have also donated towards the upkeep of the “I Am Special” children’s home in Tlokweng in the South-East administration district.”
