From Sport, Arts, Culture & Recreation
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The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation will host the Basotho New Year Celebration in collaboration with the Free State House of Traditional Leaders. Statistically, Sesotho is the most common language spoken by 64% of the people of the Free State therefore, its preservation and promotion is very critical in the pursuit of nation building and social cohesion. The Free State Province is unique and diverse in its cultures and Basotho New year Celebration speaks to the nation building and will include diverse cultural performances found in the Free State.
Languages in general play a critical role in any society and ours is no different. It is for this reason that the Department continues to promote and preserve all languages spoken across the province through the Department’s Language Services Unit. This year’s celebration of the Basotho New Year will be staged in collaboration with the Free State House of Traditional Leaders and will also feature arts and crafts exhibitions, horse demonstrations, cultural performances as well as presentations on traditional harvesting methods. It is scheduled as follows:
| Date:
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05 August 2017
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| Venue:
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Makgolokoe Community Hall (next to Harrismith)
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| Time:
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09:00
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The following activities will be undertaken as part of the programme of the day: Traditional healers’ ceremony; Traditional Sesotho Prayer; Traditional Sesotho Music (Famo and mohobelo); demonstration and drama on ancient Sesotho cultural practices and symbolic presentation of African New Year concept. Messages will be received from the MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Executive Mayor of Maluti a Phofung and the Chairperson of the Free State House of Traditional Leaders.
The Outreach Programme as an awareness campaign will resume from 01 August to the 04 August 2017 targeting the schools around Harrismith, Makgolokoe, Tshiame, Kestel and Qwaqwa which the learners and community members will than later be part of the main event to be hosted 05 August 2017.
Historically, Basotho did not follow the Gregorian calendar, but rather relied on the position of the moon, the natural indicator of seasonal rotation. As most of us have observed, the full moon occurred from the 3rd to the 4th of July, a period characterized in Sesotho as “Ha kgwedi e toloka”. To mark the African New Year, fields are ploughed, and the very first harvest is brought as an offering to Tlatlamatjholo/God. Basotho New Year is celebrated annually after the last days of Mariha/winter to give way to new life after the dry season. Basotho New Year Celebration starts in August/Phato, known for the blowing winds, clearing Mother Earth and refreshing the ground with showers of spring.
Speaking about the significance of celebrating this event, MEC N.S. Leeto said, “The event’s highlight will be the parade composed of cultural practitioners, men on horseback, as well as drum majorettes. The Free State Province is rich in its unique and diverse cultures which will be witnessed in this year’s Basotho New Year Celebration. The celebration speaks to our quest to promote social cohesion by embracing all cultures. It also deepens our drive towards cultural self-awareness in our communities. Only when communities are aware of their history and cultural identities can we be able to build a better society.”
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| Issued by:
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| Tankiso Zola
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| Director: Communication and IT
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| Cell: 082 940 2392
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| Tel: 051 410 4742/4786/4735
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| Email: tankiso@sacr.fs.gov.za
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