Week 7: Lesego Goes to a Wedding

Week 7: Lesego Goes to a Wedding

There was singing, dancing, eating, community, and marriage. This weekend there were 36 weddings in Serowe (a village of roughly 58,000). My cousin was one of the lucky grooms and thus I was able to take part in the festivities. This weekend is a holiday weekend, with Independence Day on Monday and thus many people are home for the holidays,  making it a prime wedding weekend. As a close relative my host mom left before 5am the morning of the wedding to attend to last minute details. Due to my Setswana class I arrived around 2 and since I was at cultural capacity, I left around 7:30, however my host mom was still there. Attending the wedding was a highlight of my time here and it was lovely to realize how many Batswana I know here and to feel welcomed by everyone. However, I hit a point where my brain could not soak up any more Setswana or culture and I knew I needed a moment to myself and thus the phrase cultural capacity has entered my vernacular.

The food was cooked in sixteen three-legged cast iron pots (aka caldrons) over hot wood coals. I am very impressed by the women who cooked seswa (pounded meat), samp (maize kernels), rice, leputshi (squash), soft porridge with melon, beets, potato salad, and other meats. Not to mention my favorite addition to the feast the ginger drink! I am unclear what it is made of but I do know that there was a vat of it and if I was left alone with the vat I could have drank all of it. Recipe coming soon, compliments of my host mother’s daughter. The mosadi mahalo (old women) are served first, then the men, and then other people are able to get in line for food. I helped served the food and luckily got out of doing dishes.

Traditional weddings are a whole day affair and I am sure vary from family to family. After only attending one I don’t think I can confidently say anything about Motswana weddings.

Rewind to earlier in the week, I went to a town called Orapa, to see one of the county’s diamond mines. Diamonds account for 70 percent of Botswana’s export earnings and are a huge part of the economy thus allowing for education to be widely available as well as ARVs, among other things.

Ga ke je nama (I do not eat meat) is a frequent sentence of mine and part of many of my conversations here. Meat is a staple food in Botswana so it makes sense that people are confused why I would not eat it. Also fun fact Botswana is one of only two African countries that is allowed to export beef to the EU. I am always down for this cultural exchange, and am met with a variety of reactions Sunday I was standing around and eating a carrot while I made myself dinner. My host mom’s five year old grandson asked what it was and if he could have one. I excitedly obliged and to my delight as well as his parent’s him and his 2 year-old sister ate the carrot. They then proceeded to eat the vegetables and beans I had made for dinner. Inspiring a love of vegetables into the hearts of small children would have to be the highlight of my week. I think my work here is done.