Africa-Press – Botswana. Batswana have been implored to attend Xere Cultural Festival in numbers to experience unique undiluted culture of Basarwa, their knowledge, skills and talent to uplift and empower them.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Boatametse Modukanele made the call during a press briefing in Gaborone on Tuesday.
The festival is scheduled for August 23- 24 in Xere.
He said the ministry supported the community through provision of financial, technical support, hospitality and catering to ensure that people got value for their money.
The community, he said ,would take a lead role in all event activities, whilst the ministry only facilitated adherence to tourism and hospitality standards.
He said the main interest was to ensure that Xere community benefited from the event as the aim was to create employment opportunities for them.
Xere Conservation Trust chairperson Batshwanetse Keabuile pleaded with Batswana to invest in promoting the culture of Basarwa in Xere through their support by procuring event and accommodation tickets.
“Come and experience a night with the First People of Kalahari and witness our lifestyle, cooking practices, healing as well as our songs and dancing,’’ he said.
Event Coordinator Rapula Kegopilwe said the event would start with a Sundowner on Friday, followed by a game tour on Saturday morning, quad bikes, horse riding, tour of cultural village/megwaafatshe, demonstration of animal skinning after a successful hunt as well as preparation of animal meat cuts, cultural artefacts display, quad bikes and horse riding followed by a cultural and urban festival.
He said they would ensure that accommodation was available, adding that travel and tour companies had been engaged to provide services in transport and camping tents.
He noted that funding for Xere Cultural Centre had been approved to enable the locals to get returns and generate income through their natural resources as well as creation of employment opportunities such as being tours guides, artists and chefs.
The event, he said, had various corporate packages at a cost of P55 000 for four people, P75 000 four six people, and P100 000 for eight people.
He said there would be affordable accommodation in self-camping worth P450.
Botswana Tourism Organisation, Chief executive officer Keitumetse Setlang said the aim was to stimulate economic activity in the area and build a sustainable and self-funding event.
The Coordinator of National Arts Council, Tshireletso Modikwa said Xere Cultural event would inject returns in the local economy through value chains in various sectors.
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