Yokohama — Botswana was amongst many African countries that participated in this year's 2009 African Festa in Japan's second largest city,Yokohama, on Saturday.

African Festa is an annual African cultural event that has been taking place in Japan since 1999.

The event is a major showcase of African music, dance, clothes, food, cultures and it presents an opportunity for the Japanese public to learn about Africa through its cultural heritage.

Speaking at this well-attended event the Dean of African Ambassadors in Japan, Gabon's ambassador Jean Christian Obamu said the African Festa is a major conduit through which interest into Africa is generated. He said through the African Festa the Japanese people learn and appreciate that there is more to Africa than the dominant stereotypical images of war, disease, poverty and other ills, which he said are perpetrated by the Western media.

"This is a give-and-take opportunity for Japan to explore ways of cooperation," he said adding that African Festa is about hope.

The highlight of the event was fashion parade of diverse dresses from all over the African continent. From the German print that has now been adopted by most Southern African states such as Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana as their women national dress to the "Chitenge" in Zambia and Malawi to the flowing robes of North Africa. The West and North African men were elegant in their traditional dresses.

The event was not all about the dresses but about the diversity of Africa in both skin colour and different body structures. The dark and tall men and women around Central Africa sauntered around the stage. The lighter and Arab looking Africans of North Africa were here to show another dimension of the continent.

The lean and dark Africans from the East moved to the crescendo of the African drum.

The more full-bodied Africans of Southern Africa completed the diverse picture of Africa.

In fact if there were to be any prizes to be won for the longest applause on the day it would without doubt go to our Southern African representative from Lesotho. Elegantly dressed in what the Basotho call "Seshoeshoe" she drew whistles and ululations. It was perhaps for the elegant dress and of course for the 'Serowe body figure' mostly common but not limited to Southern Africa. Japanese like most Asians are small in body structure but they seem to appreciate other people of a different mould from them.

In the midst of Japanese shushi and other Western dishes available in most Japanese cities the African Festa is one rare occasion where African gourmet is served galore. There is Foo-foo, Nshima, Yam.

In the midst of all these dishes Botswana's own seswaa and dikgobe hobnobbed with the others with discernible aplomb. The Botswana team of Poppy Majingo, MmaMotsamai, Taboka Matlhabaphiri, Oscar Motswagae and his wife, Tirahalo Sekao had prepared seswaa and dikgobe, which was going for 500 yen (about P40) and a refreshing ginger drink at 100 yen (about P8). Japanese public thronged the Botswana food stall and could not help but lick their fingers as they gobbled all.

The Administrative attaché at the Embassy,MmaMotsama had every reason to feel proud because people just liked her seswaa. At home she does not normally cook and pound seswaa but she has done it here.

"O se gatile seswaa se," we tell her.

The Botswana stall stocked with traditional handicrafts such as baskets , beads and an ostritch eggshell, is another attraction. Scores of them stop at the booth and they admire the baskets and the eggshell. There is a Botswana Tourism Board brochure, which is in Japanese.

Ambassador Motswagae says the proceeds of all the sales made at the Festa shall all go to charity in Botswana.

"The staff at the embassy contributed the food items such as beans, samp and contributed to buy other items. Whatever we raise here shall all be sent to assist an area of need back home," said Ambassador Motswagae.

The Yokohama 2009 African Festa was graced by actors, the Deputy Mayor of Yokohama and senior officials from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.