User:Ogphemelo

METSWEDING

Metsweding

LOCATION

Metsweding is a small village in the eastern part of Omaheke Region of Namibia, situated 100 kilometers northeast of Gobabis. The tarred road between Gobabis and Otjinene form part of the Trans-Kalahari/TransCaprivi highway, which attracts Namibia tourist to the village.

HISTORY

Most Tswana people live in the east of Namibia around the town of Gobabis, in Metweding and Aminuis. The Batswana people constituting the smallest ethnic group of 0.6% emigrated from South Africa and Botswana. The group met with the Roman Catholic missionaries in Gobabis where they were accommodated in Aminuis. The 1903 part of the group left Aminuis and settle in Epukiro Roman Catholic Mission farm. The community consists of +_ 600 people, the majority being Batswana and the minority San and Otjiherero speakers. The majority of the community members are elderly woman and children.

A few are employed at the mission and others are having small businesses from home, i.e.

1. general dealers x3 ,
2. shebeens x 4,
3. take away x1 and,
4. brick making project x 2

The rest rely on farming, the pension payouts , NGO’s and the children employed in the cities and towns for food, building of homes and any other material assistance or empowerment.

BOITEKO CAMPSITE & ACTIVITIES

Boiteko campsite positioned at the top of the hill is part of a Batswana village that has an interesting history The centre promote cultural tourism and the pride of the Batswana in Namibia in highlighting Africanism in Namibia.

• They promote the Setswana Cultural dances by involving Meropa ya Metsweding to entertain tourists and visitors with their unique performances in traditional attires.

• They preserve the original Setswana lifestyles by building and maintaining an example of a typical clay huts with roofs thatched in true Setswana style wherein traditional tools, equipments, food and dress are displayed. The centre offer history and customers of the villages by offering safe guided tours through the Metsweding village.

• Tourists are offered the opportunity to experience an African night in Setswana clay hut after listening to African stories and traditional customs around a cozy evening fire.

• The centre offers the members of the tribes the opportunity to study their cultural backgrounds and in return offer cultural workshops on customary law , oral history to organized groups of school children and peer groups.