Is it that as Batswana we are now caught up in this syndrome of ‘Botswana this, Botswana that’; Is it that we are not creative enough? Following the announcement by the ministry of agriculture that BCA is to transform into a university, there was hasty consultation done to find a name for the university. The previous attempts to source the name from staff and students and the suggested names were banked.
Botswana College of Agriculture decided to take the route of consulting Batswana because it knows how Batswana identify with agriculture and how Batswana value the agricultural training that their children, husbands, wives and relatives received from BCA. It knows that Batswana remembers how the frontline extension workers who trained at BCA and its former forerunner, BAC, have and contunue to help them improve their farming. What is in the name? Everyone, especially Africans, know the importance of a name. If this university we are eagerly waiting for was a child, its parents would have reserved an appropriate name that would carry their best wishes for the child, a name that would signify the greatness that may emanate from the works of this child and a name that would not be a curse to the child. In Setswana we know that leina lebe seromo. A name that would uphold the status of the family or community. In the case of BCA, the name that would be carried by the university should be able to brand the new institution without burdening it with name of a person, alive or deceased (Batswana seem to detest naming any institution or monuments after any iconic persons in our society, save for the first president). It should not be a name that creates complications in the future, necessitating a change in the name. It also should not be a name based on the subject matter (agriculture) that would not allow the university in the future to diversify its programmes. This transformation is not only important for Botswana agriculture, but it is important for the education sector. Therefore, an appropriate name that would sell the university is paramount. See in the local media how Sefalana is re-inventing itself, the new logo and the meaning of the name itself, Sefalana, a basket of opportunities, which is relevant to its business of food. Can BCA learn a thing or two from Sefalana?
