Botswana President attends Telugu cultural evening

11 September, 2007

GABORONE - President ఫెస్టస్ మోగేయి (Festus Mogae) was among the people who attended the Telugu Association of Botswana cultural evening held at The Learning Centre on Saturday.

The event was aimed at enlightening people about the history and culture of Telugu.

The chairman of the association, Mr Shyam Sreekaram, said as much as people interact and adapt to new things it was important to remember ones background and be focused on the future.

Mr Sreekaram said ones roots were important, hence his association decided to the culture of its members with other people.

He said his association, a Hindu one, also offered some services to the disadvantaged.

He said Telugu Association of Botswana had established Sai Medical Centre opposite The Learning Centre which operated on Sundays, offering free medical service between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Mr Addanki Gopalakrishna, a member of Telegu association, told BOPA that the organisation intended to improve peoples lives.

He said the association was devoted to propagating the culture of caring for other people. For his part, Mr Mogae presented a P15 000 on behalf of the association to the medical centre.

Mr Mogae congratulated the association for holding the event. He said he appreciated the effort of this small community in Botswana to raise funds for worthy causes and participate in the social and cultural activities in Botswana.

He said he hoped the exchange of culture would enhance and enrich both communities as no country could afford to be an island in the global village.

He said Botswana had created a right environment for all cultures and communities to prosper while keeping its identity, cultural values and traditions intact.

The night was filled with lots of entertainment such as the Indian traditional folk dance group, the rock dance group and prayer dance. BOPA

Courtesy: BOPA Daily News