Gaborone: the city without a face

| Tuesday March 6, 2012 00:00

Now, quick, what comes to mind at the mention of Gaborone? Perhaps it was easier to answer this question about the city at independence. In the mid-1960s, the country shed its image and identity as the Bechuanaland Protectorate of Great Britain. Prior to independence, the protectorate was administered from Mafikeng. So when the blue, black, white flag fluttered for the first time in the Republic of Botswana, the country was also unveiling a new city, one whose claim to fame was its image as Africa's new non-racial city.  This was in contrast to the racial divisions of places like Francistown in the north of the country and Lobatse in the south, as well as South African and Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) cities.

In the '60s, the city was very small, surrounded on all sides by bush, with hardly any infrastructure and very few opportunities for employment. It was therefore planned for around 20,000 people. With the discovery of diamonds in Botswana soon after independence, Gaborone city grew at a phenomenal rate. As people abandoned agriculture and flocked to the city to find employment, the population shot up. During the 2001 census, the city's population stood at 186,007 while projections in the 2011 census stood at 233,135.

As people flocked to it, the city spread and sprawled outwards, eating up the bush that surrounded it. For years, Gaborone had the distinction of being the fastest growing city in Africa. Over the last few years, construction of new buildings has become a constant, with new malls springing up everywhere. This is a sign of developers' confidence in Gaborone, says architect and lecturer Killion Mokwete. But despite these developments, or perhaps because of them, it is difficult to pin down what it is that Gaborone now stands for as a city.

Along with its stature as one of the world's fashion capitals (alongside Milan, New York and London), Paris is also widely regarded as the 'city of love' while London, New York, Johannesburg and Lagos are cultural cities.'Are we a financial city, an industrial city, a cultural city?' asks Mokwete about Gaborone. Mokwete, who also writes for architectural and property magazine Boidus Focus, says the image and character of a city can either be consciously cultivated, especially in the case of a 'virgin' city such as Gaborone was at its inception, or it can be allowed to grow organically. He says several factors, among them the need for accommodation, policy in terms of building regulations and the economy, influence the character and image of a city.

In the 2009 Revised Gaborone City Development Plan, Leta Mosienyane of Mosienyane and Partners International, writes that one of the key issues that came out of their survey of Gaborone is that as a city, it lacks a 'distinctive image and local character, including a sense of place that is welcoming, legible and a strong public realm'.'There is a conspicuous absence of enough landmarks and conscious efforts to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the city,' he writes.  Mosienyane also writes that Gaborone's walled streets make the city 'faceless.' The centre of the city, which houses Parliament, the Office of the President and ministries also links landmarks of national significance, namely Parliament (the seat of the nation's government) and City Hall (the seat of the city's government).

'It is thus a precinct of strategic and symbolic importance, as well as the most prominent area where the government should invest in creating a most distinctive landmark for the capital city, which will aid in realising the vision of Gaborone becoming a model city of choice nationally and internationally,' Mosienyane writes.Critics of Gaborone say it doesn't offer opportunity to celebrate as a city.  Other than the indefatigable Maitisong Theatre and places such as the Alliance Francaise and The No.1 Ladies Opera House just to the south of the city, there are very few places where one can enjoy cultural events. Mokwete says the social aspects of a city are a big influence on its character. 'In Spain, for example, they have bullfighting squares, which obviously has a lot to do with their culture,' he says. 'Here we have no entertainment areas that are developed as part of the city.'

Mosienyane writes in the city's development plan that nightclubs, games rooms, amusement parks, street festivals as well as music and art festivals can go a long way in developing Gaborone as a major tourism destination. The city has the potential of creating a niche market for itself in the provision of high-quality accommodation and conference facilities. Tourism is Botswana's second-highest income earner after diamonds. For lack of much to do in the city, the majority of the country's tourists bypass Gaborone to experience areas such as the Okavango Delta, Maun and Kasane.

Mosienyane believes that the new Central Business District (CBD) may be a launching pad for crafting a new image for Gaborone. Already notable in the new CBD houses are the Square Mall, SADC House, the Industrial Court, the High Court, Masa Towers and Universal Plaza.  A 21 Towers, whose groundbreaking ceremony was performed last year, is expected to be the tallest building in the city when it is completed.For Nick Njarange of Sage Consultancy, the architects of one of the most outstanding buildings in the CBD, Universal Plaza, pragmatism comes before the cultivation of a particular image for a city. 'The emphasis is to come out with a great building which will then give a particular image of the city, rather than the other way around,' he told Mmegi. 'The emphasis is to come up with a great building without consciously trying to build an image.'

About the CBD, he says what will essentially make it a place of great character does not just boil down to the aesthetics of the buildings. He mentions factors such as traffic, security and services as being essential to the success of the centre.'Buildings are just envelopes,' Njarange says. 'There also needs to be a good tenant mix that will attract feet to the place. The fact that the government is going there also helps a lot. The buildings themselves could be great, but if there are no right tenants, the place will be a flop.'

Mokwete returns to the conversation to say he is not sure if the CBD will have a distinct image. He says it is difficult to reconcile how the Three Chiefs Monument relates to the Industrial Court, as well as the High Court and other developments in the centre, adding that the fact that each building is facing a different direction makes it difficult to make a relationship between them.  However, he concedes that privately developed buildings have the potential to give the centre 'some orientation and sense of identity'.As for the city at large, Mokwete wonders why we cannot take our most famous resource, indeed the resource that is the foundation of all this development, and make it the basis of a new image for the city. 'Maybe we should say we are a diamond city,' he says. 'With the relocation of DTC to Botswana, this is a great opportunity to re-brand ourselves.'Efforts to speak to the principal planners of the city were unfruitful, as were attempts to speak to the mayor whose phone was off.