Leteisi, or German Print, in Botswana

My mother

Picture taken July 2017.

Although historically Batswana traditional dress was fur and hides, generally, the traditional dress in contemporary Botswana is the popular leteisi or German print. “Headscarves known as ditukwi in Setswana (adopted from Afrikaans doeke) and small fringed plaid blankets became iconic of Batswana women, particularly for special occasions involving parties, weddings and funerals.

For men, tailored jackets are popular in most parts of the country, as signifiers of respect for occasion, place, self; as well as for bereavement” (Disele, Tyler, and Power 2011).

It’s fair to say, culture is not static, rather it is astatic “as it incorporates new forms and meanings while changing or reshaping traditional ones” (Moalosi 2007).

#leteisi

#tukwi

#culture

#tradition

#botswana