FLAG
MAPTABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Background
B. Introduction
C. National
Standards
D. Body
1. Location, Geography, and Climate
2. History
3. Government
4. Economy (Diamonds)
5. Economy (Agriculture)
6. People, Culture, and Religion
E. Conclusion
F. Bibliography
The Republic of Botswana has just thirty
years
ago received its independence from South Africa. It think it will
be interesting to see how this change from dependence to independence
has
changed the country, the government, and the people. I also think
it is very important for myself to do some more research on this
subject
since I will be spending two years there beginning in January of
1999.
Independence will change a country, and I would like to know how.
How about you?
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Subject
I will be looking at Botswana and how its
independence
has influenced change in the last thirty years. This will include
the stability of the government as well as the stability of the
different
tribes within the Republic.
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Purpose
My purpose is to inform the readers abut a
country
that not many people have heard about. I want to show the
stability
of the government and the people in order to encourage more
missionaries
to desire to help these placid, but lost people. It is not a
scary
place.
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Scope
The scope of this paper is to inform you of the
history of the Botswana Republic so that the dependent land can be
compared
to the independent government. I will talk about the land, the
people,
the culture, the beliefs, and the living conditions while relating my
own
experience of a six weeks stay in Shakawe, Botswana (Ngamiland or The
Okavango
Basin).
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Have you ever heard of Botswana? Well,
it
is a country in Africa. Most people have never heard of Botswana,
just like most people do not know that Egypt is in Africa. Pretty
interesting? I, myself, had never heard of Botswana until I was
selected
to spend six weeks on a missionary internship there. I also did
not
know that Egypt was in Africa until recently. I would not give up
my experience in Botswana away for the world. That is not what I
am here to tell you about, though. I would love to tell you all
about
the mission trip and my plans for going back for a two year stay;
however,
I would like to inform you about the country of Botswana. I would
like to begin by telling you where Botswana is. We will then look
at this country under South African rule, compared to the independent
government
of Botswana that now exists. I would also like to have you look
at
the people and their culture to sho3w you what kind of people they are,
and how simply they live and still get along quite well. I hope
you
enjoy this informational page of a country that many people have never
heard about, and maybe it will inspire you to at least make a visit to
see if I am telling the truth.
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The scope of this paper will identify and
help
readers to visualize the three National standards listed under the
heading
topic "Places and Regions." By explaining the past and the
present
of Botswana, including how the people, culture, economy, beliefs, and
government
have changed, the reader will understand National Standard number four
which says: "Knows and understands the physical and human
characteristics
of places." I am hoping that this paper will open some of our
ethnocentric
minds to understand the growing world around us. It will also
help
define National Standard number five which states: "Knows and
understands
that people define regions and use them to interpret the world’s
changing
complexity." Botswana is a third world country, however, it is
becoming
more known because of its developing economy and stable
government.
Also, the National Standard number six will be defined through helping
people to open their eyes and compare what they believe to how it
really
is. It states: "Knows and understands that culture and
experience
influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences."
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BODY
Location, Geography, and
Climate
Botswana, being a country slightly smaller than
the state of Texas, is a landlocked country (1),
meaning it is surrounded on all sides by land. It lies directly
to
the north of South Africa. It is bordered on the north side and
the
west side by Namibia, and on the north side and east side by
Zimbabwe.
It is connected by a narrow strip of land on the northern border to
Zambia
(2).
Botswana
lies between latitudes 18 and 27 degrees south and longitudes 20 and 28
degrees west. It is considered to be a high plateau (3).
Consisting of 581,730 square miles (4), Botswana’s terrain tends to be mostly desert, savanna (5), and grassland (6). The capital which lies on the southeastern coast of Botswana is Gaborone which is pronounced as "Ha-bo-ro-neh" (6). "Although [the] area of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert, and is only sparsely inhabited by humans, it is one of the richest wildlife regions in all of Africa" (2). In fact, "Botswana is still one of the few remaining destinations in Africa that still provides a good sense of adventure and safari. Its expansive game parks and preserves, while offering wildlife as diverse and abundant as that found anywhere else, are still largely undeveloped and untamed" (2).
In the northwestern part of Botswana lies the Okavango River which empties into the Kalahari Desert. This is an interesting river because it does not empty into an ocean, but stops dead in the middle of the desert creating the "largest inland river delta in the world" (2).
Botswana’s climate is mostly subtropical (5),
meaning it has low annual rainfall and short scrubby
vegetation.
It is very dry in the land and air, especially in the desert in the
southwest.
The very hot summers, ranging from 18 to 32.5 degrees Celsius, fall in
the months just opposite form the seasons in the United States.
Summer
for Botswana is from September to March (3).
This summer, however, is tempered by a prevailing northeast
breeze.
The rainy months fall during the summer months of December through
March
(2) with an
average rainfall of 46 inches. The winter months, which are warm
as well, are the United States’ summer months. In Botswana, April
through July or August are hot days with cold mornings and
nights.
This sometimes results in an occasional frost in northern Botswana (3).
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History
Until early in the seventeenth century,
Botswana
was inhabited by the San
people, better known as Bushmen who were hunters and gatherers.
They
were overwhelmed by immigrant tribes. This happened largely by
reason
of technology in that they were able to do things much better than the
Bushmen. They were better and faster at cultivating, irrigating,
etc. Basically, the Bushmen’s lifestyle and social class was a
step
lower than the other tribes coming in. One of the dominant tribes
was the Tswana people who came from South Africa during the Zulu wars (5,
6).
Batswana, an inclusive term for all the Tswana people, began to discover gold in their country. This attracted the Boer’s from Transvaal (2, 5, 6), which caused conflict between the tribes. The Batswana then petitioned the British government to protect them from the boer’s. The British government accepted their request and put "Bechuanaland" under the British Bechuanaland Protectorate of 1885, "though local authority was maintained with determination by the Tswana chiefs" (2).
In 1966, Bechuanaland received its
independence
and became the Republic of Botswana. A president, Seretse Khama,
was then selected to be the first president of the new republic.
He served for fifteen years and died in office. The Vice
President,
Ketumile Masiri, then became President and is still serving (5,
6).
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Government
The government of Botswana, not unlike the
United
States, has a Parliamentary Democracy System based on Roman-Dutch law (6).
It is probably the most stable government in Africa. "The roots
of
Botswana’s democracy lie in Setswana traditions, exemplified by the
Kgotla,
or village council, in which the powers of traditional leaders were
limited
by custom and law" (5).
As stated previously, the government of Botswana is like the United
States’
government in that it has three branches: Executive, Legislative,
and Judicial.
"Local government is administered by five town councils and nine district councils" (5). The district commissioners are appointed by the central government and have executive authority when in office. "There has been an ongoing debate about the political, social, and economic marginalization of the Basarwa (Bushmen)." The government’s policy about this has provoked controversy and is continuing to be revised (5).
I experienced a lot about this controversy
while
in Botswana. The Bushmen were forced to take refuge in game parks
in order to keep their way of life—traditions and culture. In a
debriefing
at Tsodilo Hills, a "Bushmen Holy Place" of their creation, observed
the
Bushmen continuing their living through selling homeade charms of seeds
and tree bark and tools to tourists. I heard these people were
about
to be forced out of this "Holy Place" as well. I was saddened to
hear of people, like the American Indians, being forced away from their
"holy" land not being able to maintain their culture and traditions.
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Economy (Diamonds)
Since independence, Botswana has experienced
a tremendous amount of growth averaging an economic growth rate (EGR)
of
over ten percent per year (5).
The basis of this economic growth is the diamond mines. "Since
the
early 1980s, Botswana has become the world’s largest producer of
quality
diamonds" (6).
Since 1972, Botswana has produced three diamond mines. "Botswana
produced a total of 16.8 million carats of diamonds fromt eh
three
Debswana mines in 1995" (5).
The other main exports averaging 2.1 billion dollars per year consists
of mining nickel, copper, coal, soda ash (1),
and meat and meat products (6).
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Economy
(Agriculture)
Since one-half of the population lives in rural
areas, they heavily depend on subsistence cropping and livestock
farming.
This, however, accounts for only four percent of the Gross Domestic
Product
(GDP), "but remains a social and cultural touchstone" (6).
The population of cattle was about 2.5 million in the mid 1990s.
However, in 1995, the government ordered a slaughter of all the cows in
the Ngamiland District to prevent the spreading of a "cattle lung
disease"
(5).
When I was in the Ngamiland District in July of 1997, I was afforded the privilege of hearing the excitement of the people when they talked about the cows coming back to Shakawe. Then I saw the cows being hauled back in by huge stock trailers and taken to be handed out to the people according to the number of cows that were slaughtered from their heard two years before.
The main crop exports are sorghum, maize, pulses, and millet (3).
Although, there seem to be many job
opportunities
through the government, mining, agriculture, and town jobs, there is
still
a 22% unemployment rate (estimated in 1996) (6).
The GDP, the purchasing power parity, was established in 1966 as 4.3
billion
dollars. The annual growth rate from 1996-1997 is 6.9
percent.
From July to June (fiscal year) Botswana has an established per capita
GDP of $2, 930. The average inflation rate of consumer prices is
10.08%; also established in 1996. The unemployment rate, however,
despite all the good that is going on is still low (6).
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People, Culture, and
Religion
On a six weeks stay in Botswana, I was able to
meet many of the nationals. I stayed in one compound for three
days,
visited the secondary school three times a week, visited lepers, played
basketball with children, and worshipped with the Christians.
This
is the best way I know to really see what the Batswana are really like,
how they live, what their culture is, and how they worship.
The people are generally stoic, but pleasant, fairly hospitable, very
sincere
in that each person greets everyone already present in a meeting always
shaking with two hands instead of one. The Batswana treated me, a
female, white, young adult as royalty because I was a guest. They
hold a high respect for each other (which is basically motivated by
fear).
The Batswana live in a culture that is centered around African Traditional Religion (ATR). The traditional beliefs usually deal with worshipping ancestors. They have a cyclical world view which means you are born, you live, you die, you become an ancestor, which manifests itself in an upcoming generation, coming back into life as a child. The ATR makes up about 60% of the Batswana, while 30% are Christians, and 10% are involved in other religions (4).
One of the results of ATR is the infant
mortality
rate at 54.9 deaths/ 1,000 live births. This also displays a
birth
rate of 32.65 births/ 1,000 population, and a death rate of 17.9
deaths/
1,000 population. Because the death rates are so high, the
medical
availability low, they are promiscuous, have an epidemic of AIDS and
malaria,
and they commit child sacrifices, the women have more children, an
average
total fertility rate of 4.14 children born to one woman. Though
Botswana
is only slightly smaller than Texas, its population is not comparable
being
only 1,500,765 (established in 1997) (1).
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As you have just read, Botswana is not a scary place. In fact, it is a very nice place to live. It is one of the most peaceful and natural parts of Africa. It has the most stable government even though it is one of the more newly independent countries. They have a fairly good export system. People from America can always find some way to help the Batswana out. The weather is never freezing cold, so it is perfect for those who hate winter but love to have fun in the sun.
If you have a desire to go to see what this
country
is all about, you can read about Health Precautions, Immunizations
needed,
Disease Risk Summary, and Official Health Data on the Travel
Health Online. Also, before you
leave, you might want to check The
Weather Underground to see what the
forecast
looks like so you will know how to dress comfortably and
appropriately.
To be safe, always dress in layers.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. "The World Factbook Page on Botswana." http://www.odci.gov/cia/pulications/factbook/bc.html (4 February1998).
2. "An Introduction to Botswana." InterKnowledge Corp. 1996. http://www.interknowledge.com/botswana/index (25 March 1998).
3. "Botswana." Nations of the Commonwealth. http://www.tbc.gov.bc.ca/cwgames/country/Botswana/botswana.html (25 March 1998).
4. "Travelocity Destination Guide—Botswana." Columbus Group plc. 1997. http://www2.travelocity.com/destg/content/BW/ovr (25 March 1998).
5. Web Development Team. "Botswana." http://www.whitehouse.gov/Africa/botswana (25 March 1998).
6. "Data on Botswana." http://www.usia.gov/abtusia/posts/BC1/wwwhbdat.html (25 March 1998).
7. Lephoto, Catherine, and Jacob Yarnell. "!Kung San Page—About the !kung San of Western Botswana." Lawrence University, WI. 1996. http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/anthropology/kunsan/kungsan (23 March 1998).
8. "Botswana—Summary Profile." Travel Health Online. Shoreland Inc. 1998. http://www.tripprep.com/country/sp22 (25 March 1998).
9. "Weather Underground: Shakawe, Botswana Weather Conditions." The Weather Underground, Inc. 1998. http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/68026 (25 March 1998).
10. "Africa." Map Machine:
Atlas
@ nationalgeographic.com. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/atlas/africa/africa.html
(April 16, 1998)
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Created April 16, 1998