Batswana Urged to be More Hospitable
Batswana are becoming a less hospitable nation, Dr Wazha Morapedi, a Senior lecturer in Latin and American History at the Department of History at the University of Botswana disclosed during a public lecture on Xenophobia, the African Renaissance and Regional Integration: the Case of Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The lecture, organized by South Africa’s Open Society for South Africa held recently was intended to raise awareness about the existence of xenophobia in Botswana, the potential dangers of its existence and to get the public to understand the causes of xenophobia, and that it constitutes a violation of human rights
Xenophobia, defined as “a deep fear or dislike of the unknown” or “….the deep dislike of non-nationals based on fear of the unknown or anything perceived as different”. involves attitudes, prejudices and behaviors that reject, exclude and often vilify persons on the perception that they are outsiders or foreign to the community, society or national identity.
According to Dr Morapedi, for the last two decades Botswana had a reputation as a country of immigration based on tolerance, openness and acceptance towards non-citizens thereby importing skilled expatriates from Africa, Asia and the West. However, the public attitudes changed to one of hostility towards non-citizens. He noted that the behavior started with the government’s restriction of access to citizenship by foreigners through lengthening the nationalization time to ten years and abolition of dual or multiple nationalities.
He said the context of South Africa’s type of Xenophobia usually expressed through verbal and physical abuse has not been visible in Botswana but assert that the dislike of black foreigners is both an attitude and practice which could ultimately lead to violent behaviors.
Xenophobia has been labeled a result of the societal frustrations over competition for limited resources such as education, employment, health care and housing with foreigners. The case of Zimbabweans fleeing the country to Botswana in the last decade was due to the depressed economy plunged even further by the sanctions imposed to the country by world organizations and developed the countries. People crossed the border to economically stronger regions with the hope of finding employment and better living conditions while others ran from cultural and political persecutions.
The deepening economic crisis created massive unemployment and the Zimbabwean currency lost its value. The geographical proximity as well account for the massive presence of nationals, particularly from Zimbabwe, as BaKalanga in the North East District have relatives in Zimbabwe. In this case, both Batswana and Zimbabwean used to cross the border to either side to attend weddings, funerals cultural activities and even to visit relatives. For these reasons, the number of illegal immigrants in the county went up and became somewhat ‘burdensome’.
Dr. Morapedi pointed out the hardening of attitude of Batswana towards Zimbabweans citing an example when a crime had been committed (like house breaking and theft) in the community. The immediate response of Batswana is “It should be Zimbabweans”. Zimbabweans have become the scapegoat for whatever social ills the community experiences.
He further noted that even the human rights body Ditshwanelo is aware of the existence of xenophobia. According to Ditshwanelo, xenophobia is a violation of the basic human rights enshrined in the constitution of Botswana whereas the African Renaissance advocates for the recognition of and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people of Africa, among which is the freedom of movement.
Dr Morapedi lamented to Batswana to stop being hostile towards foreigners. He urged Batswana to be accommodative to Zimbabwean nationals as the situation in their country is beyond they control. He said Batswana are well known for the warn reception accorded to foreigners and visitors and that must continue to be so. “We must refrain from generalizing but show love, care, support and to be tolerant to our African brothers and sisters”.
Gving remarks on behalf of Ms. Sisonke Msimang, the Chief Executive Officer of the Open Society Mr Brown Maaba, a consultant at OSISA said Botswana used to be the hub of South African political activist who went on exile due to the unfavorable political condition during the apartheid regime. He sent condolences to those families who lost their loved ones during raids carried out by the South Africa military. However, he praised Batswana for having been receptive during this brutal time and said this affirmed the Setswana proverb of ‘ntlo go sha mabapi’.
He commended the University of Botswana for the support it gave to the freedom fighters and other South African nationals who sought refuge in and got their degrees from the University.
The Open Society encourages debates and intervention strategies on a number of issues that affect communities of Southern Africa. The society focuses on issues around HIV/AIDS, legal rights, media based strategies-proper reporting and education.
The seminar was attended by Ms. S. Merlo, the acting Head of Department of History, Mrs Alice Mogwe who is the board member of at the Open Society and the Head of Ditshwanelo in Botswana, students from secondary schools such as Moeding College, Ledumang in Gaborone and Kagiso from Ramotswa, Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (BOCONGO) and the UB community.