In Kgatleng District, clay is made into pottery using weathered sandstone, iron oxide, cow dung, water, wood and grass. Women of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela make this pottery. The different materials give the pottery practice a concrete, tangible dimension. It is considered urgently in need of protection.
Pottery, Singing and Weaving in Kgatleng District
Another form of cultural expression is Dikopelo, the folk music of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela. Vocal singing is combined with choreographed dance, but without instrumental accompaniment. The combination of voice and movement clearly distinguishes this music from a performance with instruments. At the same time, Dikopelo has low viability.
The Oodi Weaving Project produces woollen goods such as bedspreads, table runners, mats and bags. The wool is hand-spun and dyed locally; traditional geometric patterns define the products. The District is thus home to a range of crafts and musical forms: pottery made from a variety of materials, a form of music combining singing and dance, and woven woollen goods with geometric patterns.
These themes offer different ways to explore the culture of Kgatleng District. In pottery, the range of materials used stands out; in Dikopelo, singing and choreographed movement take centre stage. The Oodi Weaving Project, in turn, can be explored through the handcrafting of wool and the patterns on its products.
More facets of Botswana
A broader look at Botswana leads to other landscapes and cultural regions. In the northwest of the country lies the Okavango Delta, a vast, gently sloping alluvial fan, also known as an inland delta. The Okavango Delta World Heritage Site encompasses most of the delta and more than two million hectares of largely undisturbed wetlands and seasonally flooded grasslands. The Okavango Delta is one of the few large inland deltas without an outlet to the sea; its water seeps into the desert sands of the Kalahari Basin.
Habitats there include rivers and lagoons that hold water year-round or seasonally, permanent swamps, seasonally and occasionally flooded grasslands, riparian forests, dry deciduous woodlands and island communities. The delta is home to significant populations of cheetahs, white and black rhinos, African wild dogs and lions. Game drives and speedboat trips are among the activity highlights. The Okavango Panhandle begins at Mohembo, where the Okavango flows from Namibia into Botswana, and extends about 80 kilometres to the southeast.
The Tsodilo Hills are also in northwestern Botswana. The massive quartzite rock formations rise between ancient sand dunes to the east and a dry fossil lakebed to the west of the Kalahari. Large rock paintings are found in their sheltered areas and caves. They apparently date from the Stone Age to the 19th century, but have not been precisely dated.
Tsodilo preserves archaeological evidence, rock art and continuing traditions that document the development of human culture and the relationship between people and nature over many millennia. The Hambukushu and San communities revere the water sources and hills of Tsodilo as a sacred cultural landscape. Alongside its diverse natural environment, a broader look at Botswana thus reveals the long-standing cultural significance of these places.
Discover more destinations: Kgatleng, Northwest, Central District, South-East, Southern, Kweneng District, North-West District, Ghanzi District
For the main travel overview: Botswana.
