Basotho New Year celebrated in Kgolokoeng
The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (DSACR) in collaboration with the Free State House of Traditional Leaders celebrated the Basotho New Year in Kgolokoeng near Harrismith on 5 August 2017 were hundreds of residents of Kholokoe gathered to celebrate this event.
Various activities were undertaken as part of the programme of the day such as the 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.
This year’s celebration of the Basotho New Year also featured arts and crafts exhibitions, horse demonstrations, cultural performances as well as presentations on traditional harvesting methods. Speaking about the significance of celebrating this event, DSACR HOD Stanley Malope emphasized the importance of cultivating the understanding of culture among the learners and educators so as to ensure that the message becomes sustained. “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” concluded HOD Malope.
In
his message, the local chief of Kholokoe Morena Paulus Moloi appealed to the department to stage competitions on traditions in the community in order to continue to educate young people about their cultural history. Among the cultural groups that performed at the event were the Hlonolofatsa Youth Group and the Lengau la Thabeng performers.
Leaders of these cultural groups expressed their gratitude for the Department to host such an important cultural event which afforded the youth an opportunity to learn more about their heritage. They also committed to continue their work as cultural practitioners who seek to preserve the Basotho Culture.
