Traditional San Dancing, Grootlaagte, Ghanzi District, Botswana

HRAF Anthropologist Ian Skoggard visits the Basarwa (San) people in Botswana. At the center of the village is the public square (kgotla), where traditionally, the Batswana held their public assemblies, also called “kgotla”. The day we visited my daughter we attended a health fair, or pitso, in the village kgotla. There we heard different reports on the health of the village and also observed a vivid and wonderful Basarwa dance, which traditionally was part of a healing ceremony. Dressed as antelope, the young men wore leggings of cocoon rattles and stamped their feet in a tight rhythm accompanied by the women’s singing and clapping of hands. The video captures a small part of one such dance. Dancing clubs have become part of a cultural revival among Basarwa youth, which hopefully bodes well for the health of the community!