Yesterday, with nothing else to do on a Friday afternoon, I decided to brave the public transportation combi (van) system and go to the Botswana National Museum. Luckily, a girl in the boarding house was going somewhere on the same route, so she walked me to the combi stop, which is very close to school, and told me where to get off. Each ride is P3 - about US50 cents. This seems very cheap to me, and is certainly a lot less than cabs - which are about P20. But for a working Motswana who makes about P1000 a month, and may have to take two combis each way to work, that would be P12 each day, times 20 working days or so, and that's almost P250 just in transportation - one fourth of this person's salary. I'm lucky to be from the states.
Admission to the Museum is free, and the exhibits were nice. The permanent exhibit details the social history of Botswana and also has a natural history section, with real stuffed animals and information on the Kalahari and Okavango delta. The lighting could've been improved, but other than the slight darkness, the journey through the winding halls of the museum was educational and enjoyable for a geek like me. In a nutshell, the first known people in Botswana were Bantu-speaking hunter-gatherer nomads. Gradually, other groups, such as the San (also known as Bushmen) and the Khoi (both click-language speakers) came into Botswana as well. The San were also hunter-gatherer nomads. The Khoi also herded animals. The people were arranged in villages, which moved every couple of years, focused around a chief and with separate areas for each family group. Eventually, the Khoi and the San began to encroach onto each others' areas. The Khoi, with more of a sense of ownership of property than the San, used their superior war skills to oppress the San and use them as servants. In some areas, the San and the Khoi cohabited in peace, forming the Khoisan. Around 1800, the Boers, farmers originally from the Netherlands who were the first settlers in South Africa and oppressed by the British, began to push their way into Botswana. Their European weapons pushed back the Khoi. Missionaries also began arriving; more than just spreading God's word, the missionaries also served as intermediaries between traders and the natives, and also helped the Khoi, San, and other aboriginal groups by explaining European customs. As more fertile places around Botswana were claimed by Britain, Germany, and Portugual, Botswana eventually became a British protectorate. By this time, tribal civilization was well-established as well, and one family, the Khamas, were very powerful. However, the British had little regard for this culture, and inter-tribal oppression also played a role in the demise of certain traditions. The San are currently rare and squeezed onto reservations or employed at cattle posts; although their language has persevered, their traditional way of life has gone by the wayside. The same applies to most original Tswana groups. But some traditional morals persist, including the respect for the revered Khama family. When, in 1966, independence finally arrived, it was a man descended from the first Khama to deal with Europeans who was elected as president of Botswana. Sir Seretse Khama, who was exiled to England for a while because of his white wife, was well loved by Batswana, and established a lasting foundation for democracy in this country. His son, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, is currently the fifth president. President Khama's younger brothers' son is in my physics class - but I didn't even know this until looking at a friend's yearbook. "His last name is Khama...as in president Khama?" I asked incredulously.
Botswana's history is much more complex and intriguing, but perhaps that will whet your appetite.
A special exhibit about Africa's rock art was also on display. The images that I loved the most were those of giraffes. One group in Namibia, I believe, rendered life-size versions of these magnificent creatures. Although the rock art, obviously, could not be brought into the museum, the photographs were astonishing, and I hope that next time I visit Africa I will be able to go see some of this beautiful and ancient artwork in person, perhaps Botswana's own incredible rock art: over 4,500 images can be found at Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Botswana.
And yes, there will be a next time!
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