30 September is Independence Day here, and 1 October is the public holiday that always follows. Paradoxically, this year, Botswana will be celebrating its diamond jubilee at a time when our diamonds, the mainstay of our country’s economy for too long, are selling less and their revenue is both low and unpredictable. Still on those two days, the country will practically grind to a halt while its citizens and residents will literally not stay in their lanes. Chance individual encounters will easily expand into long conversations, and cultural fandom will morph into civic pride. Alongside these, the country's traditions will flirt publicly with its modernity, while revelry and the sharing of meals and drinks will animate most gatherings, however small or large.
My recollection is commonsensical. If I rolled my eyes at another decade of Botswana’s independence celebrations in 2016, in retrospect I am bound to view it as a brilliant depiction of the country’s certain midlife at 50 and the midlife of those that were born at its independence. Yet, I predict that this year, the country’s 60th independence celebrations will be marked less by the glee of a specific age and time, and more by a collective recognition of something deeper, a collective rebirth, an inkling to see itself and the world with fresh eyes, and an outward gait more confident than mere longevity. Enter “Kanreki”, the Japanese word for the 60th birthday.
