Why Visit Botswana?

If you've never been to Africa...

Botswana is a very good place to start. You may have been discouraged by the well-meaning fund-raising adverts which emphasize poverty, illness, wars and other troubles in Africa. You may even have been misled into thinking of Africa as one country rather than as a continent of 52 countries. Several of these countries really are as troubled as the charities portray but Botswana is different. It is a peaceful, well-run, thriving democracy. The country is as large as France but with a very much smaller population. The government has spent its income from minerals (including diamonds), beef and tourism, on education, roads and hospitals. It is relatively free of corruption. It has well-established and safe utilities such as water and electricity, although water is not plentiful. There is poverty in rural areas where jobs are scarce but the incomes of the people are steadily improving. From being one of the poorest African countries on independence in 1966, it is now one of the most successful, but questions remain about the future when the diamonds run out.

Geography

Botswana is predominantly flat and the Kalahari Desert covers about 70% of its land. The Okavango Delta in the north-west is one of the world’s largest inland deltas with large populations of wild animals. The Makgadikgadi salt pan is in the north. The main rivers, the Limpopo, the Notwane and the Chobe provide some water and there is increasing use of bore holes for water supplies. The need for water conservation is recognised by the government as the increase in farming and cattle rearing requires greater water resources.

Long history of democracy

Botswana’s long history of democracy pre-dates its time as a British Protectorate and ensured a peaceful and calm move into independence in 1966. Governments are elected by the people and the judiciary is independent of the government. Local councils meet to debate issues in Kgotla, a semi-circle in which everyone may speak and no-one may interrupt. The Kgotla tradition carries over into other ceremonies, including weddings.

The Tswana tribe

There are several tribes in Botswana but the Tswana are in the majority. There is a very strong sense of community and all the people are known as Batswana. There are a few Indians who are often shopkeepers and a similarly small population of white people. The official language is English which is widely spoken (so UK tourists have no language problems) and the local language is Setswana.

The pre-fixes are worth remembering:

Bo = the country Bo + Tswana = Botswana
Ba = the people Ba + Tswana = Batswana
Mo = one person Mo + Tswana = Motswana
Se = the language Se + Tswana = Setswana

The San people

For all its peaceful and democratic kindliness, Botswana’s intolerance of the San people is seriously disturbing. The San have lived as hunter-gatherers in southern Africa for thousands of years but they are being removed by government from their lands and placed in reservations where they do not thrive.

The charity, Survival, supports them and tourists can help by purchasing San woodcarvings.

Website: https://www.survivalinternational.org/

Happy cows

Botswana’s beef, from contented cows and free of nasty chemicals, is very tasty. You can expect it always to be well cooked. Seswaa is beef, boiled and pounded into a tasty mass and often served with morogo, a mix of onions, tomato and spinach. Sorghum, a grain not often seen in the UK, grows well in Botswana and makes an excellent porridge which comes in several styles: soft or hard; sweet or sour; white or pinkish. There’s not much written about Botswana’s foods which is a great pity because the local dishes, though few in number, are well worth trying and, speaking as wheat intolerant persons, we are pleased to be able to eat the sorghum.

When to visit

Suggest moving this text to new When to Visit page under Essentials

There are several attractions: the friendly people; the success of fifty years of independence; the democratic principles of Botswana life; the familiarity with the English language. In addition, there’s the weather and the local food.

The rainy season runs from November to March, not that there is a lot of rain even then. The rest of the year is mainly dry, getting hotter towards October and November. Overnight frost is not uncommon in June in the Gaborone area but Botswana’s weather moves quickly; it is still hot during the day and the humidity is very low. The occasional, brief, thunderstorms with startling cloud formations are spectacular.

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