Ubuntu - I am, because you are : reclaiming identity through arts and craft

Abstract

Where does the future of traditional arts and crafts practices, Botswana’s culture, lay in the country’s development? With influences from the western world affecting Botswana’s cultural heritage, how can these fields be developed and appropriately sustained? Tackling identity loss and what it means to be African, the journey to reclaiming Africanness* and the heritage of our ancestors, so we cannot only thrive but succeed in a world that pushes their ideals far away from our true worth. Interwoven into culture and traditions are various outlets that allow for expression and creativity to flow and be handed on to the next generation. The ability to care, nurture, and enrich the culture and traditions rooted in who we are and how we came into being is vital in this process. Oral traditions and visual representation are essential elements of heritage and culture within the African continent. How can these be preserved, harmonise, and adapted to withstand changes in the ever-fluctuating world while maintaining the essence of Botswana’s heritage and culture amid relentless pressure to conform to the western ideology of design, art, and craft?