Three Kings

Three Batswana kings are responsible for the modern state of Botswana. How so? Botswana is divided into districts. Each district has a traditional chief or king. Kgosi (singular) or Dikgosi (plural) is their official title in the Setswana language. Kgosi Khama III of the Bakwena, Kgosi Bathoen I of the Bangwaketse and Kgosi Sebele I of the Bangwato are referred to as the "three kings" and revered as the founding fathers of Botswana. In 1895, they petitioned Queen Victoria for the land to continue be a British “protectorate.” (It was first made a protectorate in 1885). It essentially became a colony. I hope you are wondering why any Africans would do such a thing. I did. As a daughter of the Civil Rights and Black Power generation, the anti-colonialism and liberation generation, I had a hard time accepting this fact. However, I realize that I have only been acquainted with the colonialism of West Africa. (All colonialism was bad, but I am making a specific point.)The kind of colonialism that happened in Southern Africa is what moved the three Dikgosi to petition the British government.

West Africa was colonized, yes, but Europeans did not settle in the region in large numbers. The English, French, Spanish and even Germans, before they lost their colonies in World War 1, were not able to live in West Africa for the same reasons that American Whites were not able to live in the Gullah Islands off of the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. Tropical diseases. As a result, the Gullah have a distinct culture, packed with Africanisms that were not lost, controlled, suppressed or oppressed as a result of living in close quarters with slave holders that sought to change their identity to conform to "Western" standards. Sometimes tropical diseases work out for good. The situation in West Africa is loosely comparable to the infestation of fleas kept Nazi soldiers out of the barracks that Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were held in during their WWII imprisonment at Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, leaving them free to conduct Bible studies and prayer meetings. Many Africans are immune to tropical diseases like Malaria (reference the sickle cell.) Malaria, Yellow Fever and other mosquito borne diseases kept white settlers away from West Africa. Not so here in Southern Africa. Think of South Africa…apartheid. The kind of colonialism that affected this region is called settler colonialism. Much like the colonized Americas. There are many more Whites living in Botswana than there are in Ghana. When I first arrived I was surprised and puzzled. As I was getting settled in, shopping for groceries, electrical converters and other necessities, I pondered why there are so many here. I figured it was because Botswana is so close to South Africa. Then I began to do some serious thinking about why they are there anyway, and not other parts of Africa. As I was walking with the other Fulbrighter who arrived with me, just as we were leaving the ice cream parlor it dawned on me. I blurted out, “Malaria!”  She asked why I made this exclamation. I said, “oh, no reason.” (The old folks say never to tell your whole mind.) She pressed, so I explained in the most diplomatic way that I could. I compared the ‘homogeneity’ of the Ghanaian population to the ‘heterogeneity’ of the Botswana population. So there it is. This is a beautiful land. South Africa has a beautiful coast line. There are picturesque islands near Madagascar called the Seychelles that are “dream vacation” destinations. Due to the climate, there are very few mosquitoes and mosquito related diseases. Because we are in the Southern Hemisphere, there are four distinct seasons (In reverse order from what we experience in the US. It is summer here right now.) This land has beautiful flowers and deep - green trees. I can understand why anyone would want to live here. What I do not understand is the violence of the first European settlers. They were called the Boers.

In the 1600s the Boers from the Holland arrived in what later became South Africa. The word Boer means farmer in Dutch. They founded the “Cape Colony”  or “Kaap de Goede Hoop” in 1652. They established farms (plantations?) and enslaved Africans from this region. Sarjtie Bartman, the so - called “Venus Hottentot” was kidnapped from this area.  She belonged to the Khoikhoi, one of the indigenous peoples of South Africa. The English came along with Cecil Rhodes, the profane imperialist who aspired to dominate all of Africa “from the Cape to Cairo” as he put it. 

Cecil Rhodes, Virulent Imperialist and Owner of the British South Africa Company

Cape Colony fell under the permanent control of the British in 1814. Once they discovered diamonds and gold, their presence here was cemented. South Africa was established with racist policies. It became an independent country in 1910 after much conflict between the boers and the English. Once the boers gained political control of the country in the late 1940s, separatist racist policies were formalized as apartheid in 1948. South Africa always had imperialist intentions towards Botswana. They wanted to annex Botswana dating back into the late 1800s. Through the efforts of Cecil Rhodes, they managed to gain control of Namibia, Zimbabwe (formerly named Southern Rhodesia) and Zambia (formerly named Northern Rhodesia). To keep Botswana from falling under the control of racist South Africa, the three Dikgosi traveled to Britain in 1895 to petition Queen Victoria for protection. The British had already cut a deal with Cecil Rhodes to hand over Botswana to the British South Africa Company. Pushed between a rock and a hard place, so to speak, the three chiefs picked the lesser of two evils. Khama III, Bathoen I and Sebele I traveled from their kingdoms in Botswana to England to petition Queen Victoria to ensure that their land continued to be a protectorate. At first they were ignored. Then they traveled all over the country to raise up public support for their cause. The public support the Dikgosi raised, and a mishap of Cecil Rhodes (a violent invasion into boer "territory" actually) caused the British government to decide not to hand over Botswana to the British South Africa Company after all. Their successful petition further defined the land that was then known as Bechuanaland, but is now known as Botswana.

The Three Batswana Kings in London in 1885. From left to right. Sebele I, Batheon I and Khama III. Their advisor, a missionary named WC Willoughby, is on the far right.

 What surprised me in learning all of this was the “legality” of colonialism. Of course to rule and exploit another group’s land is wrong. But these European powers (including the United States) always created “laws” by which to do so. The legal definition of a protectorate was to offer protection and services to British citizens wherever they were working. It was to protect British interests, as I am sure the Dikgosi were aware of. However, they facilitated this to serve the interests of their people.

The three chiefs are seen as national heroes because they protected the Batswana (as the Botswana’s citizenry is referred to) from the evils of the boers and apartheid. There is a large monument here in Gaborone called the Three Chiefs Memorial that I visited my second Saturday in the city. They are also pictured on the 100 Pula bill.

The Three Kings Monument located in downtown Gaborone. I took this photo on a tour of the capitol city in late January.

This 100 Pula bank note features the three Dikgosi, the founding fathers of Botswana. 

I try to emphasize to my students that Africans have their own royalty. The history of these three kings really drives that concept home. Botswana was divided into kingdoms or states, three over which these kings reigned. Their lineage spans back to the time just after Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe in the 1200s. Their lineage is just that long. Three of their descendants help to govern the country. King Khama’s great - grandson is president: Ian Khama, also known by his formal title, Lieutenant General Dr. Seretse Khama Ian Khama.  The other kings have descendants who are members of the House of Chiefs. This governing body still serves in the traditional capacity as chiefs in their districts and are a formal governing body alongside parliament. Each chief presides over his region, judging disputes in traditional kgotlas. A kgotla is a democratic community gathering for communal dialogue and decision making. The kgotla defines the historical cohesiveness of Batswana society and the unity of Botswana as a country. The fact that traditional leaders continue to figure prominently in governmental politics is what makes Botswana unique. (Please see a soon-coming blog about my visit to the House of Chiefs)

A traditional dance performance at a Batswana Kgolta

Kgatleng Kgotla meeting. (c) Botswana Gazette. The leopard skin worn by the Kgosi is a symbol of power.

King Khama’s grandson became the first president of Botswana, and founder of the Botswana Democratic Party, at the time of independence in 1966. Living here in Africa for six weeks now has given me an up close look at the devastating effects of mental colonialism and the wonderful paradigm of Black power and self-determination that this African nation exemplifies. It is important to trust the elders, like these three kings, that they knew what they were doing, and that did what they had to do at the time. All Batswana are living in the results of their legacy.