THE KOMA SCHOOL

- BNF's educational initiative launched in honour of the late Koma - Young turks lament power-sharing arrangement that is without substance.Dr Kenneth Koma remains one of Botswana’s most influential political figures - a towering intellectual, revolutionary, and the ideological compass of the Botswana National Front (BNF).A founding member and long-serving President of the BNF, Koma was deeply committed to democratic socialism, social justice, and workers’ rights.Educated in the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, he returned to Botswana with a unique ideological blend that would shape the country’s post-independence political landscape.Koma’s legacy continues to resonate decades after his prime, particularly among young political activists seeking to restore ideological clarity and discipline within the BNF.This resurgence is being led by a new movement within the party that has launched an educational initiative named after him.The initiative, known as the Koma School of Ideological and Political Education, aims to equip young members of the BNF with a deeper understanding of the party’s founding principles and Dr Koma’s revolutionary ideas.BNF Youth League presidential candidate, Melvin Kedise, explained that the Koma School is a response to the growing demand for structured political education and youth empowerment, especially in tertiary institutions.According to Kedise, the school seeks to rekindle the ideological flame that Koma once carried and to instil his values of social justice, equality, and participatory democracy in a new generation of political thinkers.“This initiative is not only a tribute to Dr Koma’s legacy but also a platform to prepare future leaders through political education rooted in our movement’s core values,” Kedise said.In its first year, the school aims to reach at least six tertiary institutions, starting with the University of Botswana as a pilot site. Although deeply embedded in BNF ideology, Kedise stressed that the initiative has broader national ambitions, saying that it seeks to cultivate leaders across the political spectrum who are grounded in civic knowledge and political discipline.Furthermore, the programme is designed to close a critical gap in civic education, providing young people with tools to understand political systems and develop leadership skills.Its standardised curriculum will focus on the BNF’s ideological roots while allowing flexibility to address local issues at individual institutions.During the launch of the Koma School, BNF Secretary General Ketlhalefile Motshegwa emphasised the importance of political education in sustaining any revolutionary movement.“Political education is crucial for developing consciousness in any struggle,” he said. “People must read revolutionary literature and develop a proper comprehension of the world if they are to generate relevant solutions.”Motshegwa referenced Dr Koma’s belief that training revolutionaries is a long-term process. He read aloud a letter he had written years ago to his political counterpart, Nelson Ramaotwana, expressing concern over the BNF’s drift from its role as the vanguard of the working class.The letter lamented the party's accommodation of centrist politics and the dilution of its leftist foundations, warning that such a vacuum of ideological clarity could lead to superficial political change rather than true transformation.“The danger,” Motshegwa noted, “is that we may see a change of government without a change of ideology, just a shift in faces, not in purpose.”He further emphasised the importance of reviving robust internal debate within the BNF, urging members to immerse themselves in political literature and deepen their understanding of the party’s role in shaping Botswana’s labour policies and national direction.“We must define who we are and what we stand for,” Motshegwa declared. “Dr Koma must be understood as a torchbearer and a revolutionary whose insights remain relevant today.”He referenced Dr Koma’s early writings, particularly "Pamphlet Number 1," where Koma predicted the leadership failures that would plague Botswana under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).Koma fiercely opposed neo-colonialism and believed that Africa’s second phase of liberation would require a radical break from capitalist structures that continued to plunder the continent’s wealth.“We must parade our own philosophers - Koma, Nkrumah, Fanon. These are the thinkers who shaped our liberation struggles,” Motshegwa said, adding that the education system should reflect the values of African revolutionaries.Kago Mokotedi, another prominent BNF thinker, also delivered a stirring address at the launch. Although he never interacted with Koma personally, Mokotedi noted that he engaged with Koma’s thoughts through literature and theory.He challenged party members to reflect on what Dr Koma would say if he were alive today to witness the current state of the BNF.“Koma would be pleased that the BDP has been unseated,” Mokotedi said, “but he would surely question: on whose behalf was power transferred? Was it for the people, or a new elite masquerading as revolutionaries?”He posed probing questions about the ideological orientation of today’s political leadership, warning that the lack of consistent ideological application risks reducing political transitions to mere cosmetic shifts.Mokotedi recounted how the BNF itself was born from ideological frustration - an accidental birth arising from Koma’s unsuccessful attempts to unite factions within the Botswana People's Party (BPP).The BNF, he emphasised, was not just a new party but an ideological project founded on principles that are now under threat.“It is not enough for the BNF to form coalitions or win elections,” he warned. “Those coalitions must have an ideological foundation, or else they are just power-sharing arrangements without substance.”Mokotedi criticised what he termed “intellectual indiscipline” within the BNF, referring to members who remain silent in the face of ideological drift or distort party narratives for personal gain.He decried the current culture of personality politics within the party, where loyalty to individuals supersedes commitment to ideas.“Dr Koma believed in the quality of membership, not just numbers,” he said. “If Koma were to rise from the grave today, he would weep at the deterioration in the revolutionary character of the movement.”He expressed concern about rising internal tensions, factionalism, and a lack of respect for ideological debates. Mokotedi noted the disturbing trend of leaders being insulted in party WhatsApp groups, highlighting a broader decay in political maturity and discipline.“There’s a difference between constructive criticism and outright disrespect,” he warned. “We need to cultivate a revolutionary character that is principled and informed.”Mokotedi also questioned the ideological purity of some in the leadership, referencing past moments where the BNF and its coalition partners flirted with ideologies inconsistent with its leftist roots.“Some comrades support Zionism or align with neoliberal politics, and no one calls it out. This silence is complicit,” he said.He urged the party to reflect on whether it offers sufficient democratic space for dissent and critical thought, warning that the "sins of power" could easily infiltrate the BNF if not checked.Practices like vote-buying, unchecked loyalty to power brokers, and suppression of internal debate, he argued, pose a real threat to the movement's credibility.“Koma taught us the importance of collective leadership,” Mokotedi said. “Yet today, we see individuals monopolising glory and demonising opponents - not in the spirit of collective struggle, but in pursuit of personal gain.“The Koma School must become the intellectual engine that transforms how we think and engage politically.”He closed with a call to action, warning that a youth without ideological grounding is easy prey for manipulation.“An enlightened youth will question mis-leadership. And that is why bad leaders fear a politically educated youth.”

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THE KOMA SCHOOL