Dumelang! Heritage Month and the gift of botho

Dumelang, and happy Heritage Month! For four decades, Fashion World’s counters have been one of the places where the country expresses its warm welcome and customs in all South African languages — thousands of times a day, with communities that express themselves in the vibrance and rich diversity that is South Africa. Raised among her elders, her grandparents and the visitors who filled their home, a Setswana-speaking Fashion World store employee learnt early that a greeting done badly would be corrected and shown the right way. After years of welcoming customers, her lesson comes down to botho, the Setswana word for the humanity and respect owed to every person: “Always, always, you must have botho.”