Our independence our heritage

For some, September 30th is a time to spend a relaxing day at home, others party it up while for children it means fireworks, festivities and patriotic parades at the national stadium.

But for Boikaego Phole, born in the same year the country freed itself from British colonisation, the 48th independence anniversary should be about celebrating love and the many milestones achieved with pride. Given the long journey the country undertook and the challenges it overcame, Phole believes the achievements are remarkable.

“The political freedom we achieved in 1966 was not a gift from the British. It was the culmination of decades-old struggle led by revolutionary diKgosi and we need not forget that, ever!” He has lived through the transformative phases of Botswana when it was counted among the most impoverished countries in Africa to the middle-income status it now enjoys with a per capita GDP of $16,400 in 2013.

“My children usually think I’m overly dramatic when I tell them about how we grew up”. He reminisces about having to go to school barefooted even during that cold winter season, or the fact that for most families including his, rice, bread and tomato sauce were luxuries enjoyed only on Christmas Day. “It sounds a little farfetched for the younger generation because everything is readily available now,” he says.

Phole is the chairperson of Balekane Ba Botswana (BBA), an association formed by men and women born in 1966. Registered in 2011, the association aims to drive Botswana’s Independence celebrations and will also build up the hype among Batswana towards the 50th Anniversary in 2016.

“I believe this moment provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past, draw lessons and inspiration on what the 50 years have offered us as a nation. It further provides us yet another opportunity to think and reflect clearly about the nation we want to become in the next 50 years,” he said.

“Our independence is what makes Botswana what it is. We have freedoms that a lot of other people around the world don’t have, and it’s important to take time out to celebrate them,” adds one of the members, Galeboe Sesopa. She describes the association as a community based initiative aimed at enabling the country to package, document, preserve and protect the country’s valuable, tangible and intangible cultural heritage while fostering cultural diversity and mutual understanding among Batswana.

These include building monuments at key areas like Seretse Khama airport, where everyone who enters the country will be able to see them. “If you remember where you come from, you’ll remember where you’re going. That is what we need to continually impart in our children every time we celebrate our independence,” she said.