Today, we will be discussing the Botswanan tradition of the kgotla meeting.
Kgotla meetings are similar to town hall meetings in that they are meetings where members of the community will listen to what other members have to say, usually on a topic or issue affecting the community. In this kgotla meeting, we discussed crime prevention, which is why members of the Serowe Police are there.
Each ward has its own kgotla meeting. Kgotla meetings can take anywhere between one and three hours in length, depending on the topic of discussion.
Women are expected to wear a dress that is ankle- or knee-length, a head scarf or hat and a shawl or jacket to cover their shoulders (sleeves on a dress is not sufficient).
Men are expected to stand while addressing the kgotla while women are expected to sit when addressing the kgotla.
At kgotla meetings, you address the elders, who are usually men who sit facing the kgotla attendees.
