The Botswana society to present �Africa�s First World War�
Staff Writer | Monday April 27, 2015 17:04
No armed conflict had a greater impact on Africa as a whole than the First World War. This conflict reached every corner of the continent, including Botswana. Between 1914 and 1918, c. 500,000 Africans served in the battlefields and trenches of Europe and the Middle East, while here in Africa millions were involved in military action. As many as 750 000 African combatants perished, many from the SADC region. Millions of civilians were also put in harm’s way. In some areas, 1 out of 10 civilians died as a result.
Yet, a century later the large scale presence of African troops on the Western Front is not acknowledged in popular images of the war, while the widespread horror it caused in Africa is often dismissed or treated as a sideshow.
Apart from the body count, there can be little doubt that the millions of Africans involved in the war altered its nature and course from beginning to end and played a major role in bringing final victory to the Anglo-French alliance.
Africans were central players in a conflict that left a global legacy which is still being felt. In turn, the war transformed Africa in ways that continue to unfold on the continent.
On Wednesday, the 22nd April 2015 the Botswana Society, in association with Livingstone Kolobeng College, will host an illustrated power-point presentation by Dr. Jeff Ramsay on “Africa’s First World War, 1914-18”.
The event is free and open to the public. Livingstone Kolobeng College (Block 8), New School Hall, 6:00 PM. (wheel-chair access) Refreshments to follow.
For further information, contact Bono at The Botswana Society, 2704 Phala Crescent, Ex 9, tel: 391-9745/75471453 or email botsoc@info.bw