Sekgoma II�s House, Serowe (2)

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In its internet version (24.12.2015) Mmegi included an article headlined, Preserve National Heritage, Don’t Demolish Relic Buildings – Khama. The article covered the official opening of the now repaired house in Serowe which is popularly believed to be the birthplace of Seretse.

The article was the most encouraging, surprising, intriguing yet frustrating report on Heritage to appear in the last 50 years, one of those that says so much yet so little. The first part of this report, on which I commented last week, covered the explanatory remarks by the Director of the National Museum and an apt word or two from Scobie Lekhutile of the Khama Museum about Sekgoma.

There followed the President’s own observations. He thanked the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism for its work in ‘identifying, preserving and protecting the history of Botswana’ . He then advised the people of Serowe ‘that they must never repeat the mistake they did with the colonial Resident Commissioner’s house that was demolished to make way for developments. ‘You have made a big mistake’, he advised them, which ‘must never happen again. You must preserve these buildings because they are our national heritage.’ Wow. Those are strong words. Immensely encouraging, of course, because the preservation of historic buildings has been, for so long, a near zero government priority. Yet the President’s take on the now demolished District Commissioner’s house in Serowe comes as a surprise.  The building was not included in the National Museum’s list of 100 Monuments which was probably an oversight. But then also omitted from that list were the houses of the two Divisional Commissioners, in Francistown and Lobatse. In the colonial pecking order, and size of house, Serowe would probably have been rated just below those two.  Germond’s handsome pro-consular house in Lobatse was being used as a storage facility for scrap furniture when last I saw it. I have no idea, however, if the Francistown house still survives and if so, in what state? Given its distinctive historical associations, the District Commissioner’s house in Serowe was a building which, without question, should have been saved. Come the crunch, however, government-owned buildings, of whatever historical importance, can only be saved by the government itself and, in particular by the government institution specifically tasked with that responsibility, namely the National Museum. In the circumstances, the people of Serowe may feel that they, rather than the National Museum, should get the blame for letting the building be demolished. On the other hand, it is, though, right and proper that the entire community knows and values the historic buildings in its midst, regardless of ownership. If it is known that any of those buildings is under threat, the issue should be taken up with the MPs, the District Council and the Khama Museum.  In the light of the President’s remarks, other communities, up and down the country, might be well advised to take  urgent stock of their own situation.

Editor's Comment
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