Chinese newspaper is born
MPHO TLALE
Correspondent
The Oriental Post, a Chinese newspaper, was launched at Gaborone's Maharaja Restaurant on Friday night. The newspaper, probably the first of its kind in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is printed in Chinese.
Speaking at the event, Miles Nan, the president of the Oriental Post, said that it has come to their attention, as the Chinese community living in Botswana, that there is a massive communication gap among service providers, product developers and the Chinese community in Botswana. He attributed this to the fact that " most of the Chinese do not understand English and speak very little Setswana".
The Chinese however play an important role in the lives of Batswana through the services that they are offering both in urban or rural areas. The newspaper will also cater for the Chinese community in that services such as banking and insurance services, among others, will be written in their language so it will be convenient for them to understand.
Speaking at the same event, Coordinator of the Botswana Government Communications and Information System, Jeff Ramsay, said the launch of The Oriental Post marks a major milestone in the development of the media in Botswana. Dr Ramsay also said that the newspaper is the first of its kind to be printed in an international language other than English here.
Entertainment at the Post launch included traditional dancing and an opera performance.
There was also a magician present, who used Miss Botswana Sumaiyah Marope to demonstrate his skills.
