Proudly Motswana

| Friday April 16, 2010 00:00

When I meet people, they usually think that I'm from South Africa. The reaction I get when I tell people that I'm a Motswana born and bred in Botswana tends to be of shocked surprise and disbelief occasionally followed by a tentative interrogation, especially when they learn that my mother and her siblings were also born in Botswana.

 This is something I have grown accustomed to and I often enjoy these conversations. The most interesting topics that have come up have been what it is that makes a true Motswana, the modern perception of nationality and its relevance. Yet, as a matter of fact, Botswana is the only home I have ever known and I can't imagine myself living anywhere else. I was born in Francistown. When I was two-years-old, we moved to a beautiful area of bush in Notwane where I spent my childhood in harmony with a variety of wildlife. Those were the good old days when one hundred Pula was considered a lot of money, as much as one thousand Pula is today.

I went through all my education here in Gaborone - Jack and Jill Nursery School, Broadhurst Primary School and Maru-A-Pula Secondary School. But I must confess that my command of the national language is basic because I only learned conversational Setswana in primary school. I'm currently doing my first year at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa and I'm hoping to major in Journalism and Media Studies so that I can one day work in northern Botswana to promote the country's tourism through horse safaris. Horse-riding has been my passion for 13 years now.

 I am proud to say that I was born in Botswana and that I carry a Botswana passport. Yet, because of my circumstances, I almost feel a compulsion to ponder the question: What is it that makes a Motswana? In the past, it was the traditional se-Tswana culture, the ability to speak fluent Setswana and of course being born here - the essence of being a proud Motswana. However, this is progressively shifting as the years go by. There are still thousands of families around the country that practice these traditions, yet the insidious effect of Westernisation has begun to change this.

Increasing numbers of young people in my generation seem to be losing the values of traditional Botswana culture and the ability to speak Setswana fluently. A disturbing phenomenon is that there are even Batswana children and teens who can't speak fluent Setswana; which makes me wonder what will happen to the original value of being a Motswana in the distant future. Will it become a rarity or eventually be lost? This is where the relevance and modern perception of an individual's nationality come in. 'Back in the day,' your nationality was a strong part of your identity. But with people migrating to different countries and their children having different nationalities as a result, it doesn't seem as significant any more. I myself am from a multicultural background, but unfortunately the only language I'm fluent in is English.

I once met a Brazilian exchange student that was ethnically Japanese. She could speak perfect Portuguese because her family had lived - and still do - in Brazil for so long; yet the effect was that she couldn't speak a word of Japanese! This is a significant example of the progressive shift in the relevance and importance of nationality today, and it brings a realisation that it's happening all over the world. As a result, I believe that we are all becoming a part of one big multicultural society on a universal scale that Botswana cannot escape.

At this point, I would just like to thank everyone at Mmegi for being so patient and friendly with me this past week. I am grateful that Mmegi has allowed me to shadow their amazing team this week to see how everything comes together to produce their daily paper. I've learnt so much from everyone here. I feel particularly privileged to have been asked to write this article. Being here has been an invaluable and exciting experience and I hope to come back one day!