History of Botswana - Essay Example

History of Botswana Botswana is one of the countries located in the south of the continent of Africa. It is a republic country and it is run as a parliamentary republic. The nationals of Botswana are called Batswana and its biggest percentage regarding ethnic is the Tswana who are about eighty percent of the total ethnic population. Other ethnic groups include the Kalanga, Basarwa and Kgalagadi. The national language is English and it is estimated that close to eighty percent of the population practice Christianity as their religion with the remaining percentage of the population practicing religions like the Hindu. Their total population are slightly above two million of which close to ten percent live in the urban areas of Botswana, including its capital city Gaborone which is the largest city in that country. Below is a map showing the location of Botswana and its neighboring countries. History of Botswana In the late ninetieth century, there was a high expectation that the northern region of what was to become the Republic of Botswana was under the British colonies that was protecting it. They were located in the north of the Molopo River and their intention was to merge the protectorate with the south of the region. The southern part of that region was under the colony of Cape. The British controlled the area called Bechuanaland after a request to put it under its protection was influenced by the then tribal leader, Khama III. Khama traveled to the United Kingdom to request the British to put their land under the protection of the crown so that it was not disturbed by their hostile neighbors.1 To but their land under their protectorate, the colonial secretary requested that it allows the British to construct railway line across their land that later came to be an economic opportunity to their land as it had opened them up to trade. In the early twentieth century, particularly 1910, the Cape politicians wanted to join the Bechuanaland and this was influenced by the Union of South Africa, but it would later become a challenge to join the state. Before the Cape politicians could join the Bechuanaland, there was to be a signed agreement between the rulers of Bechuanaland and the British. The grandson of Khama III by the name of Seretse Khama went to the United Kingdom to study at the Oxford University. At that time, their neighbors, South Africa, had introduced apartheid laws that restricted the intermarriage and other fundamental rights between different races. Africans were marginalized because of the introduction of apartheid. While Seretse was at the University, he married a British woman who caused anxiety in the region ruled by the British government and latter prohibited Seretse from returning and living in Bechuanaland. This meant that he would not become heir to the tribal kingship but years later, he inherited the kingship and later became the prime minister of Bechuanaland after the self-ruling was introduced. Pressure for independence from the British garnered pace and finally in 1966 the British gave in and the people became independent. With Seretse Khama becoming the first president, Bechuanaland became a republic and it was named the Republic of Botswana. He ruled as the president from 1966 to 1980, after his death. Ketumile Masire, who was the vice president during Seretse rule, became the president up to 1998 where he stepped down and his vice president, Festus Mogae became the president. In the year 2008, Mogae stepped down and Ian Khama, son to Seretse Khama, succeeded Mogae to become the president, up to date. Botswana Foreign Policy Foreign policy is a bundle of plans and actions that a country has in regards to the diplomatic connections with other countries. Every government should put in place a strategy to deal with other nations as the world today thrives in the interrelations and connections with other countries.2 Botswana has also formulated its foreign policy that has an aim of achieving its national objectives through the interrelationships with other nations. Botswana foreign policy is entrenched in the ideology of honesty, clearness and inclusiveness so that it would be in line with the current state in the global context. In shaping its foreign relation policy, Botswana through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has formulated a policy that would see it move forward its domestic interests as well as its national interests in other countries in Africa and abroad. To achieve this, the policy must ensure that the interests of other countries are also accommodated in their country. This would ensure that Botswana will participate successfully in the global arena and this in turn will lead to the reaping of benefits the country and other countries it has relations with. Some of the foreign relations that Botswana is engaged with are discussed below, of which includes signed agreements on trade. One of the most successful foreign relations has been the Southern African Development Community, which was established in 1992 with an aim of integrating the southern region of Africa to spur growth and development of the economy in the region. Its members include Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Congo and itself. This organization has fostered good relations and coexistence with its neighbors. Botswana has actively participated in this organization by bringing ideas about how the trade quotas and import/export taxation should be carried out.3 It proposed that charges on imports from the member countries should be fairly low to ensure increased trade among the organization. With this legislation, member countries have experienced trade growth among the thus enhancing regional integration. It has also had agreements with the United Nations, African Union and the International Criminal Court and other foreign relations include that with the United States of America, United Kingdom, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, and Russia among others. The diplomatic relations with these countries has ensured that Botswana continues to extend the heights of globalization and transactions with these countries for the fulfillment of the predetermined national goals and objectives. Botswana’s government has laid emphasis on the importance of having a working foreign relations policy as it helps in the promotion and developing the fundamental interests of the people of Botswana. Any developing country should ensure that it has in place a working and efficient foreign policy for it to attain its national objectives easily. With the current globalization trend, developing countries should position themselves in the international arena and ensure that if engages other nations in diplomatic relations which will foster economic and social activities like trade and poverty eradication. Interesting Facts about Botswana Botswana has some interesting facts that are not known to many people, some of the facts are discussed below. Botswana has a point where four countries, including it, meet. The other three countries include Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The point where these countries meet is called a quadripoint.4 At this point, one can be able to pick up signals, from his or her cell phone, of the four countries. This fact is not known to many and is rare to see other four countries sharing a border point. Another interesting fact about Botswana is that English is their official language and is spoken in formal settings. These formal settings include schools, universities, offices and is also extensively spoken in most urban areas. Their national language is the Setswana, which many people learn it first as their first language and for this reason, it is extensively spoken across the nation. This language is mostly used in every day to day communication among the nationals of Botswana thus more used and understandable to its nationals. The final interesting fact about Botswana, its coat of arms, is a shield supported by two zebras. One of the zebras in the coat of arms holds an elephant tusk while the other holds a stalk of millet. The picture below represents the coat of arms of Botswana. The blue bands represent water and its importance in the country. The three wheels represent the industries, the bull’s head represents the cattle industry, the zebras and elephant tusks represents the natural environment, the stalk of millet represents the agricultural sector and finally the word PULA in the coat of arms means let there be rain. The three facts about Botswana are only but a few interesting facts about the country. Bibliography Falola, Toyin, and Fallou Ngom, eds. Facts, fiction, and African creative imaginations. Routledge, 2009 Kearney, A. T., and Foreign Policy. "The Globalisation Index." Foreign Policy 6 (2006): 74-81. Robinson, James A., and Q. Neil Parsons. "State formation and governance in Botswana." Journal of African Economies 15, no. suppl 1 (2006): 100-140. Read More