Abstract
Cultural tourism is an essential socio-economic practice that sustains livelihoods of local communities in Botswana. Thus, the main purpose of this inquiry was to explore what local people’s perceptions were about the Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival (KDCCF). Although Botswana has rich cultural tourism resources, little research has been conducted on its cultural events, particularly the KDCCF and its potential to sustain livelihoods within the local communities in the Kgalagadi desert. Since 2012, some of the experiences that participants can engage in include the San traditional dance, polka (boerewalf) dance, and quadbike riding. Prior research on the Kgalagadi desert focused on people’s engagement and relationship to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park; moreover, previous research was quantitative in nature. This chapter asks two primary questions: How do the local people perceive, understand and participate in the planning and implementation of the Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival? And how do the local people contend the event has altered the communities’ livelihood? It is hoped that the insights garnered from this qualitative approach can contribute to understanding how cultural tourism shapes the socio-economic parameters of local communities who live in proximity to indigenous natural resources. Furthermore, this research seeks to contribute to empowering local people in fostering sustainable development through their local experiences. Qualitative methodology is employed through field work observations, documents, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The sustainable livelihoods approach is employed as the theoretical framework. The findings suggest that the cultural event has the potential to transform local people’s livelihoods. However, it can foster conflict embedded within social hierarchies as barriers to community involvement and participation.
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Notes
- 1.
1USD = 11.3 BWP or Pula (P). Local currency in Botswana is Pula (P). https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=BWP.
- 2.
Khawa Kopanelo Development Trust (KKDT) is a registered Community Based Organization (CBO) in Khawa village that is operating under the Botswana program and conservation model called Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM).
- 3.
Ipelegeng is Government Initiative or programme whose main objective is to provide short term employment support and relief whilst at the same time carrying out essential development projects that have been identified and prioritized through the normal development planning process. Retrieved from http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/Ministry-of-Local-Government-MLG1/Tools-and-Services/Services1/Ipelegeng-Project1/.
- 4.
Swakara sheep are also called Karakul sheep. “Farmers at Khawa are in the process of acquiring a flock of Karakul sheep for the Swakara trade to market pelts (coats made from Karakul lamb hides) (IUCN, 2014, p.69).
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Kgatlane, S., Velempini, K., Boikhutso, K., Randolph, A.W. (2022). Nexus of Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival and Local People’s Livelihoods in a Dryland Ecosystem of Botswana. In: Mbah, M.F., Leal Filho, W., Ajaps, S. (eds) Indigenous Methodologies, Research and Practices for Sustainable Development. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12326-9_20
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