And this failure in utterance is not all that bad now that we have 'Kgalagadi' referring to the district and 'Kalahari' denoting the 'mother' Kgalagadi, a much wider area: its heart rooted from central through south/western Botswana, its boat thrusting and prevalent over Namibia and South Africa.
In describing these vast sands the Setswana Language combines the verb
/kgala-/ 'to go dry', and the prefix /-gadi/ 'in great proportions', hence 'Kgala-gadi' -The land of dreadful dryness. And this description tells a story written in reality: Botswana receives low rainfall, the Kalahari gets the lowest. The country's summers are hot, the Kalahari is the hottest. Much of the country depends on underground water, deep drilling, the Kalahari is home to the deepest wells anywhere. There are sandy soils all over Botswana, out there in the Kalahari sand-mountains exist! And so on. There are spirited people, ample livestock, abundance of game, thorny shrubs, titillating terrains and so further.
June 2007, drought is evident in Botswana. I have been requested to write to the Editor, by a not so informed friend of mine. And this is so solely because you are a 'newsperson'. Lantsu applauds all the initiatives and hails everyone involved in combating this country-wide visible thirst. Lantsu goes on to say the realities of famine and scarcity makes the heart of the Kalahari the most vulnerable This is due to its very own nature and existence. Now, shall there ever be any extraordinarily unique measures, temporary or otherwise, targeted precisely for that Land of Dreaded Dryness? That's the question Dear Editor. Or the land so far away, so dry, has nothing for which to cry?
Motse wa Mopedi
Kgalagadi
