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.

Sanita's Tea Garden

There are many lovely places in the world. Fewer are extremely lovely. Among these few is a place called Sanita’s Tea Garden, here in Gaborone, the capitol city of Botswana. I am here with another Fulbrighter named Beckie from Minnesota. When she left her home state it was negative 24 degrees Fahrenheit. When I left Washington DC it was unseasonably warm at seventy degrees (in the middle of January!) Here in Botswana the temperature starts off in the seventies in the morning, climbs up to the eighties or nineties at the height of the day and becomes cool again at sundown, back to the seventies.  It is as good as it sounds. Every day here in Gaborone is a lovely one for having a quiet lunch at Sanita’s Tea Garden.

  

I first visited this charming place during my second Saturday in Gaborone on a bus tour of the city. It is a nursery filled with lovely plants, including several types of jasmine, lavender and trees. There are several “show gardens” through which daintily painted butterflies flutter among purple, pink and yellow blossoms. They are truly picturesque. There is also a restaurant. Picture diners sipping cool mint lemonade, seated at round wooden tables dotted with umbrellas beneath soaring green -leaved trees, artfully scattered along a patterned brick ground. It is the perfect place to just go and think. I visited one Sunday after church and last Saturday after an adventure at Makodi Game Reserve (which I will describe in a later blog.) 

    

I love gardens. One of my earliest memories was standing in front of huge gardenia bushes in the foyer of the National Botanic Gardens in DC on a visit with my parents. Inhaling the sweet fragrance overwhelmed my little six-year-old nostrils with aromatic pleasure. During my first visit, I lunched on a salad, filled with their own hand-grown herbs, and a deliciously spiced chicken sandwich. I also bought a jasmine plant (which I will gift to someone before I leave.) That evening she produced a tiny, fragrant pearl - white blossom, with soft petals. I named her Petronia. 

 

I am embarrassed to say that my visit to Sanita’s disrupted many untrue ideas that I had about Africa. Not every country in Africa is the same. First, life here in Botswana is like any other place in the world. Sanita’s is like a lovelier, outdoor version of Home Depot or Lowes. What does this suggest? – Families here Gaborone garden. Enough families garden to profitably sustain this business. These families have disposal income. They have jobs and are making money. They drive over in their cars, along paved roads, pass by the numerous malls in the city, the office buildings and car dealerships, and make their way over to purchase plants to beautify their homes. Homes that they own. Water is precious here in Botswana, which is a semi-desert. Water bills are like US electricity bills. These families can afford to water their gardens. Contrast this truth to images that we are fed about Africa in the West from the time we are young. These images suggest that all Africans live in poverty. I first became aware of the Continent in my tender years from the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s that inspired the writing and recording of the song We Are the World. I think the song’s music video showed Ethiopians with rail thin arms and legs, bloated bellies, bald heads and numerous flies about their faces. (This image came to represent all Africans to underexposed Americans, and small children growing up in the eighties like myself, who had no other information to go on about the Continent.)

  

So yes, I have learned many needed lessons during my short time here. Number 1 – I have only been to one other African country – Ghana. Once for two months after my sophomore year in college and one more time last summer. I expected for Botswana to be like Ghana (my heart!) It’s not. In fact, the entire Southern African region is very different from West Africa. Botswana is probably more like South Africa, which is somewhat like the United States (So I’ve heard. My only time there was in the Oliver Tambo Airport waiting for a connecting flight.) Botswana’s wealth is derived from diamonds, which were discovered after independence in 1966. This is a country that has kept, controlled and profited from its natural resource.  Unfortunately, many countries in Africa have lost ownership and control of their natural resources. Ghana is rich with gold. But the gold mine is named Anglo Gold. From the name, you can guess who owns it – the British, Ghana’s former colonizer. Botswana has one of the most stable economies on the Continent and has benefited from the wise leadership of four presidents – two of which come from traditional royal lineages. They were kings as well as presidents. (This includes the current president who is a king in the royal line.) The government has invested profits from the diamond trade into building the country’s infrastructure and public services. 

 

It is this infrastructure that supports the high standard of living here in Gaborone and such lovely places as Sanita’s. It is hard for me to write this without sounding like I am putting down other African countries. Of course, I am not. It’s just that I did not realize the descriptor ‘stable economy’ that everyone assigned to Botswana during my pre-arrival conversations was code for ‘wealthy economy.’ An overall lesson for me is to put aside any preconceived notions or expectations about a place before I get there. Sorry to say, the ever-popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency does not represent Botswana or Gaborone of 2017 (or  the Gaborone of 2009 when it was filmed). It depicts life as it was fifty years ago, or ‘Old Gaborone.’ Is it not curious that the American media engine (HBO in this case) has chosen to depict such an antiquated version of such a modern city? False notions of ‘African poverty’ and/or delay in technological development support the idea of Western (read European) supremacy. There are wealthy, middle class and poor everywhere – just like in the United States.

I guess I am thinking along these lines because I am here to learn so I can teach Africa, and train others to teach Africa. For our children of African descent, we must be very careful to counteract all false and negative images about their homeland. By focusing on examples, like Sanita’s Tea Garden, that destroy any and all stereotypes that have been imposed on them, their sense of identity is nourished and pride in their homeland can be developed as it should.

Live in Botswana – Musings and Memories in the Making

Welcome to the Botswana section of my blog. I am here in the capitol city Gaborone doing a Fulbright Research Fellowship. I am investigating how traditional music is used in primary schools (elementary schools) to nurture national identity in children. I am researching this to discover a paradigm for nurturing through their traditional music African – American children’s sense of national identity as people of African descent. I am also fascinated by a seriously authentic jazz tradition here in Botswana, South Africa and the Southern African region. This is my official purpose for being here. However, this three month stay is much more than that. As a Black woman I have a continuing thirst for knowledge of and experience in African cultures. I feel that being here and learning more about my homeland helps me to better understand my African – American identity.  Just being here in the land from which my ancestors come – enjoying the landscape, the trees and the mountains - is soul satisfying. But there in my rather lofty and romantic notions of the continent lies the problem. I think many Black Americans, including myself, think of Africa with a nostalgia that in some ways is perfectly appropriate but in other ways can be a little…naïve. Africa is complex as is this small country in it where I will live until mid – April.  Complex how? What would you say if I told you that in the southeastern region of Botswana, Polka is a very popular music? (yes I said Polka!) What would you say if I told you that in contrast to a country like Ghana, where almost everyone wears vibrantly colored traditional cloth, almost no one wears traditional clothing here? (Except for on special occasions once or twice per year) What if I told you that Botswana is unique for a strong unified national identity, respect for traditions to the extent of implementing an institutionalized governing body of royal lineage called the House of Chiefs at their 1966 independence, but many worship all things "good" and bad from the United States, including the newly elected president! We all need help to understand that one!  Through my writings I hope to share with you my experiences and gain that understanding. More soon to come! - Maya