Botswana is one incredible African country! Okay I know I’m biased, but try to find another country in Africa that has done what Botswana has done – that is my challenge for you!
One of the fortunate things in the history of Botswana is that diamonds were not discovered until immediately after independence. If diamonds were discovered earlier the country would have a vastly different history – the colonial powers would then have been very interested in doing some development, in the form of digging.
Botswana had the largest growth of Per Capita Income in the world from independence in 1966 to the turn of the century. It went from being one of the poorest African countries to one of the wealthiest ones. The standard of living of SOME of the local population is much higher than when we lived here 17 years ago. We live in a neighborhood that would have been completely expatriate when we were last here, and today we are the ONLY expatriates. This large modern city was only a remote bushy area before they decided to build a capital city here at independence. Yes times have changed!
There are currently four diamond mines here – and at least one is considered the richest gem-quality diamond mine in the world. The others are also high on the list. The country has been blessed with leaders that have struggled hard to build a new democratic nation. The first two presidents were incredible men and without them the country could not have achieved what it did – after all, Africa is full of mineral rich countries that have made many corrupt leaders wealthy. Sixty percent of the government’s income today comes from the joint venture negotiated with DeBeers, the diamond supplier of the world. In Botswana the company is called Debswana. The government has wisely used the income to improve health care, education, and infrastructure for all citizens.
The only cause for concern is what will happen if the diamond market goes south for the long term, which could happen if synthetic diamonds ever become economically viable.
Yes Botswana is one incredible country, and yes diamonds are a country’s best friend.
Botswana is one incredible African country! Okay I know I’m biased, but try to find another country in Africa that has done what Botswana has done – that is my challenge for you!
One of the fortunate things in the history of Botswana is that diamonds were not discovered until immediately after independence. If diamonds were discovered earlier the country would have a vastly different history – the colonial powers would then have been very interested in doing some development, in the form of digging.
Botswana had the largest growth of Per Capita Income in the world from independence in 1966 to the turn of the century. It went from being one of the poorest African countries to one of the wealthiest ones. The standard of living of SOME of the local population is much higher than when we lived here 17 years ago. We live in a neighborhood that would have been completely expatriate when we were last here, and today we are the ONLY expatriates. This large modern city was only a remote bushy area before they decided to build a capital city here at independence. Yes times have changed!
There are currently four diamond mines here – and at least one is considered the richest gem-quality diamond mine in the world. The others are also high on the list. The country has been blessed with leaders that have struggled hard to build a new democratic nation. The first two presidents were incredible men and without them the country could not have achieved what it did – after all, Africa is full of mineral rich countries that have made many corrupt leaders wealthy. Sixty percent of the government’s income today comes from the joint venture negotiated with DeBeers, the diamond supplier of the world. In Botswana the company is called Debswana. The government has wisely used the income to improve health care, education, and infrastructure for all citizens.
The only cause for concern is what will happen if the diamond market goes south for the long term, which could happen if synthetic diamonds ever become economically viable.
Yes Botswana is one incredible country, and yes diamonds are a country’s best friend.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Bakgatla Initiation - (Jolene)
A couple of weeks ago, Renae, Katrina, and I were crawling out of bed at 2:30 AM to have another ‘adventure’ in this culture. Alysa picked us up at 3 AM, then we headed to the village of Mochudi, which is a 45 minute drive out of the city. We were meeting at Bessie’s house and going with her to see the men who were coming back in from their initiation in the bush. Bessie was our neighbor when we lived in Maun many years ago, and she now lives in Mochudi. (She’s the one Travis helped build the house for).
First an explanation of the initiation. The Bakgatla tribe seems to be the only tribe in Botswana that does the initiations anymore, but apparently traditionally many of the tribes did it. They hadn’t done it though for about 20 years – something about the chief they had, had his reasons for not doing it. It’s hard to get answers sometimes to questions! Anyway, they have a new chief, and he has again started the initiations, for women and men. The women’s isn’t nearly as long as the men’s, and it was done sometime in June. The men, however, were out in the bush for about 6 weeks (we heard varying times), and the day they came back in was a big celebration and there were many, many people at the kgotla (traditional place where they meet with the chief when there are issues, or community meetings). Bessie said to be at her house at 4 AM, so we could have a good place to see them coming in, so that’s what we did.
We picked up Bessie , her two children, her sister, and a neighbor, and drove to the kgotla, where we got 2nd row seats. We thought that was great! We weren’t sure what time the men were coming in, some reports were 7 AM, some 9 AM, but in actuality they didn’t arrive until 11:30!! Anyway, people kept coming and coming, and soon the area was full to overflowing. It became quite difficult to get in or out to do anything (like go to the bathroom), so we sat on our chairs from 4:30 am until after 2 pm when everything was over. It got quite hot, we didn’t want to drink much so we didn’t have to get up and go through that crowd, and we were famished by the end. I had brought apples & oranges, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and made several extra, but those didn’t go very far when I shared them with everyone! I’m always amazed at how the people here can so patiently sit & wait for something to happen. No food, often no water, and in the hot sun. We felt almost sick when we left because of all that, but it didn’t seem to bother Bessie .
Anyway, about the ceremony. At one side of the gathering, all the women that had been in their initiation sat, and on & off sang songs for the rest of us. They were all dressed in the same color dresses & blankets, and it was quite a sight. There was a man walking around with an animal skin on his back and feathers in his headdress, with a whip, who was keeping the crowd in order. If someone stood up too long, or for other infractions (I wasn’t sure what they had done), he would yell at them and sort of pretend to whip at them. I was terrified of the guy! At one point he made all the people in our area move their chairs back, and then some went front again, and I was totally confused what he was trying to do, but we ended up in about the 4th row. Which really didn’t matter because we could still see and there wasn’t all that much to see a lot of the time.
The monkey is this tribe’s totem, so they had a person dressed sort of like a monkey come in and do a dance, along with a couple other people dressed entirely in white feathers. The important people – chiefs of many villages all around, sat in a special place under a big thatch roof, and the paramount chief of the tribe sat there, with the leopard skin on the back of his chair. There were quite a few men walking around with skins on their backs and feathers.
When they finally said the men were coming, it still took at least another hour for them to arrive in the kgotla area. They came very slowly, singing and doing this little step dance thing. They all had white ostrich feathers, high in the air and it was really quite a sight. Many of them also had animal skins on their backs, but not all. We had been told that there were close to 2000 men who had been initiated, but I really don’t think that many came in. Anyway, it was a lot of men, and they filled the space up. Coming in ahead of them were three men on horses, one of them being the chief. They were quite regal looking. Then there were lots of speeches by various men, I wasn’t sure who they all were, and it was all in Setswana, so sitting there in the hot sun, holding Bessie’s child on my lap who was sleeping, I almost fell asleep too. But I was really too uncomfortable to relax that much. After a couple of speeches the men would all sing a song, and that was the best part. Sort of a chanting, and the one song they all stomped their feet at the exact same time and it was neat to hear.
What they do in the initiation is supposed to be a big secret, but we were told they don’t sleep very much and they just sleep on the ground. They basically take nothing with them, it’s winter time and quite cold at night. They are taught by the older men how to be men – to be faithful to their wives, to take care of their children, and of course I don’t know what all else. Then they all get circumcised. This is done by a real doctor and supposedly in very sanitary conditions. This year it was a white man that did it, and he was there at the ceremony. They go out in the bush not far from Mochudi, and at times they are close enough for the people in the village to hear them singing. Other men that have already been initiated can go out with them, just for a day or two or however long they want, so at times there were over 5000 men out in the bush. (not sure where they got this number but that’s what we were told).
When we were sitting there for hours in the hot sun, I was thinking that this better be worth it when they finally show up. And looking back, it was. At the time I wasn’t so sure!
First an explanation of the initiation. The Bakgatla tribe seems to be the only tribe in Botswana that does the initiations anymore, but apparently traditionally many of the tribes did it. They hadn’t done it though for about 20 years – something about the chief they had, had his reasons for not doing it. It’s hard to get answers sometimes to questions! Anyway, they have a new chief, and he has again started the initiations, for women and men. The women’s isn’t nearly as long as the men’s, and it was done sometime in June. The men, however, were out in the bush for about 6 weeks (we heard varying times), and the day they came back in was a big celebration and there were many, many people at the kgotla (traditional place where they meet with the chief when there are issues, or community meetings). Bessie said to be at her house at 4 AM, so we could have a good place to see them coming in, so that’s what we did.
We picked up Bessie , her two children, her sister, and a neighbor, and drove to the kgotla, where we got 2nd row seats. We thought that was great! We weren’t sure what time the men were coming in, some reports were 7 AM, some 9 AM, but in actuality they didn’t arrive until 11:30!! Anyway, people kept coming and coming, and soon the area was full to overflowing. It became quite difficult to get in or out to do anything (like go to the bathroom), so we sat on our chairs from 4:30 am until after 2 pm when everything was over. It got quite hot, we didn’t want to drink much so we didn’t have to get up and go through that crowd, and we were famished by the end. I had brought apples & oranges, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and made several extra, but those didn’t go very far when I shared them with everyone! I’m always amazed at how the people here can so patiently sit & wait for something to happen. No food, often no water, and in the hot sun. We felt almost sick when we left because of all that, but it didn’t seem to bother Bessie .
Anyway, about the ceremony. At one side of the gathering, all the women that had been in their initiation sat, and on & off sang songs for the rest of us. They were all dressed in the same color dresses & blankets, and it was quite a sight. There was a man walking around with an animal skin on his back and feathers in his headdress, with a whip, who was keeping the crowd in order. If someone stood up too long, or for other infractions (I wasn’t sure what they had done), he would yell at them and sort of pretend to whip at them. I was terrified of the guy! At one point he made all the people in our area move their chairs back, and then some went front again, and I was totally confused what he was trying to do, but we ended up in about the 4th row. Which really didn’t matter because we could still see and there wasn’t all that much to see a lot of the time.
The monkey is this tribe’s totem, so they had a person dressed sort of like a monkey come in and do a dance, along with a couple other people dressed entirely in white feathers. The important people – chiefs of many villages all around, sat in a special place under a big thatch roof, and the paramount chief of the tribe sat there, with the leopard skin on the back of his chair. There were quite a few men walking around with skins on their backs and feathers.
When they finally said the men were coming, it still took at least another hour for them to arrive in the kgotla area. They came very slowly, singing and doing this little step dance thing. They all had white ostrich feathers, high in the air and it was really quite a sight. Many of them also had animal skins on their backs, but not all. We had been told that there were close to 2000 men who had been initiated, but I really don’t think that many came in. Anyway, it was a lot of men, and they filled the space up. Coming in ahead of them were three men on horses, one of them being the chief. They were quite regal looking. Then there were lots of speeches by various men, I wasn’t sure who they all were, and it was all in Setswana, so sitting there in the hot sun, holding Bessie’s child on my lap who was sleeping, I almost fell asleep too. But I was really too uncomfortable to relax that much. After a couple of speeches the men would all sing a song, and that was the best part. Sort of a chanting, and the one song they all stomped their feet at the exact same time and it was neat to hear.
What they do in the initiation is supposed to be a big secret, but we were told they don’t sleep very much and they just sleep on the ground. They basically take nothing with them, it’s winter time and quite cold at night. They are taught by the older men how to be men – to be faithful to their wives, to take care of their children, and of course I don’t know what all else. Then they all get circumcised. This is done by a real doctor and supposedly in very sanitary conditions. This year it was a white man that did it, and he was there at the ceremony. They go out in the bush not far from Mochudi, and at times they are close enough for the people in the village to hear them singing. Other men that have already been initiated can go out with them, just for a day or two or however long they want, so at times there were over 5000 men out in the bush. (not sure where they got this number but that’s what we were told).
When we were sitting there for hours in the hot sun, I was thinking that this better be worth it when they finally show up. And looking back, it was. At the time I wasn’t so sure!
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Tribal Customs and How to Become a Man –Roger
It all started with Mokolone, a man who fuels our aircraft, telling me he would be gone for six weeks. When I asked where he was going he informed me he was going out in the bush for the tribal initiation ceremonies. There are numerous tribes in Botswana, including eight major Bantu tribes, the Barolong, Bakwena, Bangwaketse, Balete, Bakgatla, Batlokwa, Bangwato and Batawana. The last tribal initiation for any of these tribes was more than 20 years ago – they used to happen every three to five years in each of the tribes. The Paramount Chiefs have discontinued the custom, mainly because of the discouragement of tribalism and the process of tryingto build a unified democratic country, and because of the influence of the first president who was the rightful Chief to the largest Bantu tribe (The Bangwaketse), but refused to accept donning the lion skin, which would make him the Chief. He tried to limit the powers of the Chiefs and it was, and at times still is, a struggle to know where to draw the “power” line between the Chiefs (and local custom) and the official democratic government. At the start of independence (1966) there was a House of Chiefs established in the government, but it is more of an advisory body than a governing body. However the Chiefs still rule in many disputes, land allocations etc. and lead and guide the people in the villages. There is a Paramount Chief for each tribe, and the villages are divided into “wards” each with their own Headman (local Chief) – but I digress!
Mokolone and I always spar back and forth when he comes to fuel my airplane as I try to pry information from him about what happens in the initiation ceremony. It is supposed to be a big secret and each person who goes through it is not allowed to disclose what happens there. Before he left I told him I will sneak into the bush and spy on them, and he informed me if I got caught I would be forced to stay with them until they returned and then I would have to keep their secrets too. I tell him I want to be the first white man to be initiated and he tells me I am a “monna mogolo” (old man) and could not take the rigorous schedule. I glean a few “secrets” here and there in this verbal sparring, but he tries to be vague in his replies – at least it makes fueling the aircraft fun!
In years past each of these groups was called a “mophato” (regiment), and they all had a totem and held a special bond and loyalty to each other. The Chief could call on a regiment when required (some still do) to accomplish tasks for the tribe such as a building project or village improvement. In the old days they were also a type of military unit, which is one reason the British tried to stop the custom years ago.
After many years of the Chiefs not performing this “rite of passage”, the new Chief of the Bakgatla tribe decided to start it up again. It has caused much excitement among many of the people in the tribe, while others think it is outdated and meaningless. There is also an initiation for the women, but I don’t know much about that. The men follow their Chief into the bush a long way from the village and they sleep on the ground and drink some substance (I can’t get much information on what it is made of) and eat very little and only one time a day. Mokolone came back much thinner than when he left, and he is not a big man. He tells me this cleans out your insides (diarrhea for about a week), and then your mind gets very clear and you can think on a higher level. They sleep on the cold ground (this happens in winter) and walk about 50 kilometers (30 miles) a day. They only sleep for a few hours at a time and then are woken and continue their marches. The only people allowed there are those who have done the initiation before, and those who are being initiated. They are taught all the things of “being a man” which includes the tribe’s traditional customs and beliefs. There were several thousand men that went to this, and Mokolone lives for these events – he was thrilled with the new Chief for starting this up again. If a Paramount Chief from any of the Bantu tribes dies the men may not return until he has been buried. When Mokolone was initiated the first President (Sir Seretse Khama) died and they had to stay in the bush for three months – that would have been 1980. I told him Seretse was not a Chief since I know he refused to put on the lion skin (each tribe has its totem and skin they use) and he was surprised I knew that but sheepishly told me even though he did not accept the Chieftanship, he was still royalty and they consider him a Chief. It is interesting how strong some of those tribal feelings are. I don’t think American’s, who live in a country that was founded on a rebellion from the “King” can completely understand those feelings. In discussion with some British friends, they seem to understand the “royalty” appeal better than I do.
One of the rites performed is circumcision, but today they use qualified doctors, and it is done in a proper facility. When they return from the initiation there is a huge public ceremony to greet them. I was so disappointed that I was on call and could not go. Getting to know Batswana and experiencing some of their culture has always been a highlight of living in Africa. The Chief came out dressed in his leopard skin (the Bakgatla custom) and there were many speeches. Fortunately Jolene, Renae, and Katrina did get to go with a very dear friend of ours from when we lived in Maun. She has moved back to her home village of Mochudi which is where the ceremony was held, and she invited us to go with her to the celebration. I told Jolene to sneak as many pictures as possible (they are forbidden), but there were men with sticks patrolling the crowd and assuring no photos were taken during the time they were forbidden .
This is my last blog until Jolene and/or Renae write about something. They can blog on the initiation ceremony or what they want, but it’s their turn, so unless they contribute next this blog is completed. If you want more entries get on them!
Mokolone and I always spar back and forth when he comes to fuel my airplane as I try to pry information from him about what happens in the initiation ceremony. It is supposed to be a big secret and each person who goes through it is not allowed to disclose what happens there. Before he left I told him I will sneak into the bush and spy on them, and he informed me if I got caught I would be forced to stay with them until they returned and then I would have to keep their secrets too. I tell him I want to be the first white man to be initiated and he tells me I am a “monna mogolo” (old man) and could not take the rigorous schedule. I glean a few “secrets” here and there in this verbal sparring, but he tries to be vague in his replies – at least it makes fueling the aircraft fun!
In years past each of these groups was called a “mophato” (regiment), and they all had a totem and held a special bond and loyalty to each other. The Chief could call on a regiment when required (some still do) to accomplish tasks for the tribe such as a building project or village improvement. In the old days they were also a type of military unit, which is one reason the British tried to stop the custom years ago.
After many years of the Chiefs not performing this “rite of passage”, the new Chief of the Bakgatla tribe decided to start it up again. It has caused much excitement among many of the people in the tribe, while others think it is outdated and meaningless. There is also an initiation for the women, but I don’t know much about that. The men follow their Chief into the bush a long way from the village and they sleep on the ground and drink some substance (I can’t get much information on what it is made of) and eat very little and only one time a day. Mokolone came back much thinner than when he left, and he is not a big man. He tells me this cleans out your insides (diarrhea for about a week), and then your mind gets very clear and you can think on a higher level. They sleep on the cold ground (this happens in winter) and walk about 50 kilometers (30 miles) a day. They only sleep for a few hours at a time and then are woken and continue their marches. The only people allowed there are those who have done the initiation before, and those who are being initiated. They are taught all the things of “being a man” which includes the tribe’s traditional customs and beliefs. There were several thousand men that went to this, and Mokolone lives for these events – he was thrilled with the new Chief for starting this up again. If a Paramount Chief from any of the Bantu tribes dies the men may not return until he has been buried. When Mokolone was initiated the first President (Sir Seretse Khama) died and they had to stay in the bush for three months – that would have been 1980. I told him Seretse was not a Chief since I know he refused to put on the lion skin (each tribe has its totem and skin they use) and he was surprised I knew that but sheepishly told me even though he did not accept the Chieftanship, he was still royalty and they consider him a Chief. It is interesting how strong some of those tribal feelings are. I don’t think American’s, who live in a country that was founded on a rebellion from the “King” can completely understand those feelings. In discussion with some British friends, they seem to understand the “royalty” appeal better than I do.
One of the rites performed is circumcision, but today they use qualified doctors, and it is done in a proper facility. When they return from the initiation there is a huge public ceremony to greet them. I was so disappointed that I was on call and could not go. Getting to know Batswana and experiencing some of their culture has always been a highlight of living in Africa. The Chief came out dressed in his leopard skin (the Bakgatla custom) and there were many speeches. Fortunately Jolene, Renae, and Katrina did get to go with a very dear friend of ours from when we lived in Maun. She has moved back to her home village of Mochudi which is where the ceremony was held, and she invited us to go with her to the celebration. I told Jolene to sneak as many pictures as possible (they are forbidden), but there were men with sticks patrolling the crowd and assuring no photos were taken during the time they were forbidden .
This is my last blog until Jolene and/or Renae write about something. They can blog on the initiation ceremony or what they want, but it’s their turn, so unless they contribute next this blog is completed. If you want more entries get on them!
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