Race, ethnicity, color, class and gender in Botswana

We had a speaker come in after classes to do a lecture on race, ethnicity, color, class, and gender in Botswana. This lecture was unique and different than any lecture I have attended so far, including those of the states. Every lecturer has their own attention grabber, but Dr. Maude Dikobe had something else on her mind. As soon as she came in, she pointed each of us and inquired about our "race, ethnicity, color, class, and gender." It seemed as if she was doing a survey or conducting her research while lecturing, after all she was taking notes! When my turn came, I gave her the following answers:
Race-Human
Ethnicity-Indian
Color-Brown
Class-Middle Class
Gender- Male (This answer was incorrect, because gender is masculinity/femininity)
Other answers from students for race were, "African American," which I thought was interesting. One gave "Jewish" for ethnicity. This, however, put us in to perspective and ready for what we were going to hear.

Dr. Dikobe started off outlining some the problems facing Botswana.  Like all capitalist countries, Botswana has income disparities, and this is causing the people not living in the southeast, where there is development, to fall behind. Dr. Dikobe described to us how the HIV pandemic has affected household incomes; she boldly stated, "it's a society that spends a lot on funerals." It's a true statement but the blatancy of it made me dumbfounded. Furthermore, Botswana youth lack the luxury of working part-time jobs U.S. youth are blessed with, such as working at retail stores or fast food places. Batswana have to wait for others to resign. Accroding to Dr. Dikobe, "race is a contested issue as a student of African diaspora." This is because some might want to associate with a particular color, as people who are not black are subjected to all the luxuries by default. However, Botswana has had a different history of racial politics. Unlike Zimbabwe or South Africa, there wasn't a large presence of whites. This subsequently didn't create a fear of the white man. A french psychologist, Frantz Fanon, observed the interaction between white and blacks when Algeria was colonized and the psychic effects it had on the Africans, causing them to develop a fear. He once said, "the state of a 'native' is a nervous condition, introduced by the settler and kept by the native at his own consent." Dr. Dikobe brought up a brilliant point of how the naming system remain unchanged after the colonizers left. Africans internalized the naming system set by the settlers even after they left as they saw themselves through the eyes of the settlers. However, Botswana was spared by this fear. Its first president, Sir Seretse Khama, married a white woman. This set the stage for interracial relations and intermarriages in the country. However, it's next-door neighbor, South Africa, had an Immortality Law that banned interracial marriages.

Flag of Botswana

Dr. Dikobe pointed out the two white strips on the flag acknowledges white presence in the country. However, some Batswana do feel whites are given preferential treatment. But, from my experiences here especially during the soccer match, I observed whites and blacks celebrating together and didn't feel or observe any show of superiority by either groups. Also, all the mixed races in Botswana are considered Black. However, they are some issues with this as some people want to associate with one group than the other; their social interactions and actions makes it really obvious.

They are 8 major ethnic groups in Botswana, which are based on animals! For instance, a group called Twana have a lion totem. The current president of Botswana, comes from the Ngwato tribe and used to be a  Kgosikgolo (Paramount Chief) of the tribe. Another tribe, Malete, has a female chief. Botswana is also home to numerous minority ethnic tribes that are not well-represented in the government when it comes to voicing their concerns. Hence, Botswana is not entirely democratic due to divisions among people and lack of attention towards minority groups.

Class in Botswana is not defined by wealth, but by the number of cattle you have. Yes! you heard it right, cattle! An ordinary person in Botswana has three homes: an urban home, village home, and a cattle post. Even local CEOs of companies have cattle here. Although, I feel people will slowly abandon the cattle system due to globalization and become a customary thing. Nonetheless, it's fascinating!

Botswana is a patriarchal society. However, that is changing as women are beginning to hold top political positions. Even then, Dr. Dikobe believes women's rights are sometimes compromised. The SADEC protocol on gender, though, hopes to achieve gender equity in all areas in a certain time-frame. In 2005, Botswana passed the Marriage Act, that gave both the sexes equal rights to property.

There is an antic saying in Botswana, which mocks the "Ladies First" saying in the U.S.

"Ga nke di etelwa ke manamagadi pele."
Male cows can never be led by female cows.