Otse: simple yet sophisticated
Source : KUTLWANO
Author : Bonang Masolotate
Location : OTSE
Event : Profile
On any day, people will be going in and out, cattle mooing, birds singing - only punctuated by a few stereo sounds. All this suggests a simple orientation. Conversely and lest you be deceived, Otse is far from that simple. Not only are the gigantic hills wrapping around the village the unique feature distinguishing it from other villages. There are many written and unwritten stories about the hills - named Lentswe la baratani.
The common story is that of two lovers who in protest went up the hill, never to return after their families disapproved of their seeing each other. Legend also has it that the two are now ancestors and do not allow anyone to climb the hill.
Further, there is widespread belief that if one goes up the hill they will disappear.
From the villagers` perspective, it will be shocking to doubt the enormous powers the hill possesses, hence climbing it is considered distasteful, disrespectful and dreadful.
Apart from the two lovers who are said to have long climbed the hill and never returned, there is another story of a certain chief`s cousin who is said to have climbed the hill in the late 1970`s and disappeared as well.
“Lentswe leo ga le palangwe, I have known that from childhood,” says youthful Brenda Leketo who looks stunned by suggestions of such an adventure.
The mystery of Lentswe la baratani is an unwavering consensus among the villagers and ancestors, according to Kgosi Moreti Tshepe.
Also, shocked by the thought of climbing the hill, Kgosi Tshepe explains how in recent years, an over-enthusiastic police officer went up the hill and picked up a rod made for the ancestors.
However, his accomplishment was cut short after he fell ill. He had to return the rod to the hill top and render an apology to pacify the gods.
Kgosi Tshepe points out that there is, however, exception as ancestors can summon someone to the top but such a person should have prior consultation with the village traditional leadership.
“Our ancestors are still there, we respect them,” he says.
Apart from the mysterious sophistication of the hill, Otse also boasts Segorong Gorge, a shallow stream which attracts religious groups and tourists. On the northern side of the village, there is Manyelanong heritage site, which is home to vultures but its spiritual connotations remain unknown.
Akin to any modern village, the villagers have forsaken consulting their gods, something which kgosi Moreti believes has played a role in the problems the village perpetually grapples with.
“When I was growing up, we would go to the hill to consult them (ancestors) about problems bedeviling us,” he says with a tinge of nostalgia.Abandoning such a practice, according to kgosi, appears to have contributed to social problems such as poverty, unemployment and alcohol and drug abuse in the village.
In the past, the villagers would perform rituals to pacify their gods in the hills and the latter would respond by showing them the way out. Unlike today, the gods would not allow any business entity to set up in the village and source workers elsewhere. That way it helped to address unemployment in the village, according to villagers.
Meanwhile, with a population of 7 636 people, as per the 2011 population and housing census, there are no major industrial activities taking place in the village despite developments which can support freight businesses such as the Gaborone/Lobatse Road and railway line.
The occupation for most residents is agriculture. In the mornings, many will trod to their fields and cattleposts while a few depart for nearby government institutions while a handful others catch buses to Lobatse, Ramotswa or even Gaborone. The main centres of employment are government institutions such as Moeding College, Baratani Junior SecondarySchool, clinic and two primary schools.
Even then, the villagers accuse government departments of sourcing workers outside their village while there are qualified Otse residents. “Our youth are disadvantaged, even to write an interview for a post tenable in Otse, they have to go to Ramotswa,” laments Bahimi Bome who is Otse North Village Development Committee chairperson.
Such, he says, has compounded youth unemployment in the village while contributing to idleness with some of the youth resorting to intoxicating themselves with alcohol. “When we air our views, we are accused of politicising issues,” bemoans Bome.
Amid these limited economic opportunities, the village is surprisingly not reaping anything from the heritage sites of Lentswe la baratani, Segorong and Manyelanong. The only thing on the table is that efforts are underway to set up a community development trust for the management of the sites.
“We have met with the elders of Mogobane village and we are hopeful that in few months we will have a community trust in place,” says Bome optimistically. ENDS
Teaser:
Viewed from a distance, Otse appears deceptively simple. From its unpaved and dusty streets, to mud huts, the imposing corrugated iron roofs, few tiled roof houses, the village looks just like any other...
