Naming institutions after icons

Sandy Grant | Wednesday October 7, 2015 16:11

 

He also noted, however, that people such as Masire, Mogae, Chiepe, Mpho, Matante, Koma and so on have been completely ignored.  Keorapetse’s concerns made me wonder who has been honoured in the past by giving their name to an institution, or to a major project and what might be learnt from such a list.

Those that pre-date Independence in 1966 are the Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital in Mochudi, the Bathoen Dam and King George V Memorial Hall and School in Kanye, the Athlone Hospital in Lobatse, the Sekgoma Hospital, the Arthington Hall (now only a deserted shell) and the Ruth Khama Hall all being in Serowe, the Hands Memorial Hall (a mere shell) in Mahalapye, and the Lady Liesching Clinic in Gaborone (now de-listed). After Independence comes another cluster – the Princess Marina Hospital and the Julia Molefhe Clinic, in Gaborone, the Ben Thema Primary School, and then, more recently, the three schools in Gaborone, Livingstone Kolobeng, Phillip Moshotle Memorial School, and Solomon Dihutso.

In Francistown there are the two schools, John Mackenzie School - in Francistown although I have been unable to find out when it was established – and the Setlalekgosi CJSS.  In Mochudi there is the Lady Mitchison Primary School and the Tannie Mollendorf Hall (burnt out). In Phikwe there is the Ann Adams Park and in Molepolole the Winifred Merriweather Hall. I had an idea that a clinic in Palapye is named after Mma Shaw. 

If it isn’t, Palapye should hang its head in shame.  I also believed that a clinic in Maunatlala is named after its donor, Kgopodiso Mokama and have the impression that the attempt by Serowe to have its library named after Bessie Head has run into bureaucratic difficulties in Gaborone.  It is extremely difficult to know what to make of this list not least because it contains so many oddities.

The schools, Ben Thema, Lady Mitchison and Setlalekgosi are all one offs, the first, being, as far as I know, the only Minister of Education to be so honoured.  The dam in Kanye is the only one in the country to be named after anyone. The same applies to the Park in Phikwe which  is named after a social worker who was a member of Ben Hopkinson ‘s Christian Council team, which made such a marvellous contribution during the town’s first very difficult years. Whilst the tribal settlements were almost bound to name their institutions after their traditional leaders, the three towns, Gaborone, Lobatse and Francistown always had a greater freedom of choice – but also preferred to name schools conservatively. 

A careful look at this inevitably incomplete list, does suggest that, for whatever reason, society has been in the past and still remains, extremely reluctant to name its institutions after particular individuals. That reluctance, for whatever reason, is not at all demonstrated when it comes to roads and streets – so that the urban towns which have named their roads, have done so with a degree of freedom. My favourite remains the Kgama 1 Ave in Lobatse, there being no such thing in Serowe!