How Sir Seretse Khama set Botswana on the Right Path | African Founding Fathers. Ep. 2

Naziri Njibu 20.00 Tuhadi 20.15 Ndziri Mbama showed zingine sake 9:00 PM sake 22:00 sake dry sake 22.50 sake 22.50 sake November 22 sake November 22 sake 09/22 sake 22.10 You're the one who's always complaining about this. Therefore, this branch is the longest of all. There is no bad without good. Tufano so you don't miss future uploads. To despise ourselves and our ways of life, we were made to believe that we had no past to speak of, no history to bolster. Only the present mattered, and we had very little control over it. A nation without a past is a lost nation, and a people without a past is a People without a soul. It should now be our intention to retrieve what we can of our past. We should write our own history books to prove that we did have a past. and it was a past just as worthy of being written and studied as any other. These are the words of César Azacama. During his life and tenure as president, Azacama worked to transform Botswana from one of the poorest countries in Africa into one of the wealthiest. the richest because he believed that Africa had once been prosperous and could return to that state to becoming prosperous again after being plundered by colonialism. His was an uphill battle to demonstrate that an African nation could overcome the odds and become peaceful and prosperous. Azacama was born on July 1, 1921, to Queen Taboho, Kibailele, and Tsokoma Kama. His grandfather, Kama III, was Kosi. meaning king of the Bamanguatu people of Bichuanaland, then a British protectorate. He was named Sereze, meaning "clay that binds," because his father and grandfather had reconciled. from a fight just before his birth. His grandfather died in 1923, and his father became Kosi. before passing away two years later, and thus in 1925, at the age of four, Sereze became king of the Bamanguatu. His uncle, Takit Kama, was appointed regent to rule on his behalf. Kama III, joined by Batuwing I and Sibili I, who had been made chief of a neighboring tribe, traveled to Britain to lobby the queen for protection from the Sicilian roads in the north and the Boers in the south. The three chiefs traveled to England in 1895 and spoke all over England, but the British government still delayed granting their wishes. It was Sicil Roads himself who made sure Bichuanaland would never be part of his company's territory. In 1896, under Sicil's direction, 500 British South Africa Company The police launched the Jameson Raid against the Boer Transvaal Republic. This raid would lead to the Second Boer War and destroyed Sicil's reputation in Britain. The UK then held off transferring Bichuanaland to roads and so throughout the colonial period, due to the lack of minerals or farming land in the region, traditional institutions such as the Xhosa remained intact and the British ruled mainly indirectly through tribal kings who were transformed into paramount chiefs. These chiefs traditionally ruled by the people's will, and meetings were held to discuss matters that affected the tribe. Sometimes the people's rule could override the Xhosa's will. It was in this environment that Sereze was expected to rule. However, his ascent to power as Xhosi would not be easy, and this was because of the woman he chose to marry. In 1947, While studying in England, Sereze met Ruth Williams, an insurance clerk. The two got married. in England a year later. The news of the marriage angered his people, who felt that their future king should have married a native Xhosa woman who would understand his role as Xhosi. His uncle Tegedi, Acting as regent, he demanded his return to Bichuanaland so that he could explain himself. his people. Sereze returned and held a series of public meetings with the elders of his community. After listening to him, his charisma won them over, and the elders reaffirmed him. As Xhosa. Ruth also met the people and was recognized by the community as his wife. After Sereze was recognized as Xhosi, his uncle went into voluntary exile with the Bagwena tribe. and Sereze, now Xhosi, returned to London to complete his studies. However, the Union of South Africa, which had recently instituted apartheid laws, wasn't very happy with a tribal The king marrying a white woman. The Union had made miscegenation illegal in their country. Miscegenation was defined as sexual relations between people of different races. They did not like what interracial marriage represented in the region, a region surrounded by increasingly racist regimes. To the north, Rhodesia was also becoming increasingly racially segregated. and the two were not willing to allow a black man married to a white woman to become king among them backyard. And so, the Union of South Africa petitioned the British government to prevent prevent it from happening. Britain needed the cheap gold they imported from South Africa, so they exiled him in 1951, effectively preventing him from returning to his homeland. The Bamanguadu remained loyal, and when asked by the British to appoint a replacement as Xhosa, they refused. After five years in exile, Britain decided to distance itself from apartheid South Africa and allowed Sereze and Ruth returned to Bichuan territory. A condition was that they were only allowed back into the as ordinary citizens. By now, many natives felt that because of his prolonged absence from home, Western education, and a white spouse, he was out of touch with current affairs. Because As a result, he was not very popular among the locals. Sereze did not give up and in 1961, He founded the Bichuanland Democratic Party. His exile had proven that he was a man who could He stood his ground against South Africa and the British, and his party began to gain popularity. His party dominated the 1965 elections and he became prime minister. In his position as PM, He kept pushing for the independence of Botswana. On 30th September 1966, Bichuanland gained its independence. independence and was renamed Botswana. The British did not really put up a fight to hold onto the very poor protectorate, and thus the son of the Xhosa ascended to his seat, not as king of the Bamanguatu, but president of his country. A few years before this, Queen Elizabeth had made Sereze. a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, hence the name Serezekama. When Botswana gained independence, it was one of the world's poorest countries. Its revenue came mainly from cattle farming and had only 12 kilometers of road. Most of its people did not have access to formal education, with only 100 high school graduates and 22 university graduates. His was not going to be an easy task of lifting his people out of poverty. To add to this, he was also surrounded by widely controlled and often racist governments, such as South Africa and Rhodesia. Apartheid South Africa had even banned him from setting foot. in the country after his marriage to Ruth. But unlike many African founders, Sereze had seen democracy in the African context. His father and grandfather had ruled as Xhosa chiefs while consulting the council of elders and the people at public meetings. His grandfather was deceived by Kama the Good because his leadership was never self-serving. Kama the Third had established missionary schools. and churches to help his people. This was the example that Sereze now followed. So how did this man turn Botswana into the fastest-growing economy? He had a bit of luck and a lot With willpower on his side. Diamonds were discovered in Botswana in 1967, just a year after independence. Through diamond exports, Botswana would transform its economy into one of the fastest-growing. economies in the world. Botswana would avoid the resource curse that plagues countries like the Congo. in Africa. Since it had already gained independence when diamonds were discovered, Botswana could sign mining contracts that benefited its people. Another advantage was Sereze's fairness and transparency. Instead of making himself a dictator and enriching only a few of his family, he used all the diamond revenue to improve state services such as education, health, and infrastructure. He also refused to allow uneducated individuals to work in the civil service. not to replace British administrators, but rather to gradually replace them with natives. the population gained better access to education. This meant that the Botswana civil service became a technocratic organization where people were employed based on merit rather than tribal affiliation affiliations. Today, Botswana is the least corrupt country in Africa and its transparency rate even rivaling ################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################ Ember, the city of the future, stands as a beacon of progress and innovation, its skyline a testament to human ambition and technological prowess. At the heart of this metropolis lies the Central Research Hub, a sprawling complex where the brightest minds from across the globe converge to push the boundaries of science and engineering. 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Through his diamond proceeds, Botswana became the fastest growing economies in the world between 1967 and 1980. Finally, he allowed for democracy elections, never suppressing opposition, and allowing for a peaceful transfer of power. He was easily re-elected in 1969, 1974, and 1979. When he died in his sleep in July In 1980, he was succeeded by then Vice President Quet Masiri. Twenty-eight years after his death, His son, Ian Kama, would become the fourth president of Botswana.