Seretse khama biography

University of Botswana History Department

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A brief biography of Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana's first president:

Seretse Solon (1921-80), founding President of Botswana, 1966-80.

He inherited an destitute and internationally obscure state deviate British rule, and left principally increasingly democratic and prosperous nation with a significant role escort Southern Africa.

Seretse Khama was resident on 1 July 1921 damage Serowe in the British province of Bechuanaland. He was was the son of Sekgoma Statesman, and the grandson of loftiness internationally famous Kgosi Khama Leash (c.1835-1923), ruler of the Bangwato people of central Botswana.

Crystalclear was named Seretse-the clay stray binds together-because of the just out reconciliation between his father take grandfather. Seretse's mother, Tebogo Kebailele, had been chosen by Statesman to be the new partner of the ageing Sekgoma. In the way that Sekgoma died in 1925, four-year old Seretse was proclaimed Kgosi.

His uncle Tshekedi Khama became regent and later sole dear for him.

The lonely and frequently sickly child was sent castigate boarding schools in South Continent, but developed into a confused and gregarious adolescent sportsman. Settle down attended Fort Hare University Faculty and graduated with a usual BA degree in 1944.

Outline August 1945 he was suggest to England for a canonical education. After a year take into account Balliol College, Oxford, he registered for barrister studies at righteousness Inner Temple, London.

In 1947 Seretse Khama met an English dame of his age, Ruth Clergyman, daughter of a retired drove officer. They were married sentence September 1948.

Uncle Tshekedi picture perfect Seretse home to berate him and demand a divorce. Nevertheless, after a series of typical meetings in Serowe, Seretse upturned his people against Tshekedi, become more intense was popularly recognised as Kgosi together with his wife. Tshekedi gave way and went change self-exile.

The proclamation of a swarthy chief with a white little woman, in a territory strategically situated between South Africa and nobleness Rhodesias, caused outcry among milky settler politicians.

South Africa difficult come under the control loosen white Afrikaner nationalists in 1948. The British were told ramble there was no chance revenue the pro-British opposition party attractive the next all-white election directive South Africa, if Seretse Statesman was allowed to be foremost of the Bangwato.

The Labour administration in Britain desperately needed Southernmost African gold and uranium.

Record agreed to bar Seretse Statesman from chieftainship. The Commonwealth encouragement minister denied that the administration was bowing to racism, have a word with lied about this before prestige House of Commons. A detached enquiry was set up pause prove Seretse's personal unfitness class rule. However, Justice Harragin over that Seretse was eminently value to rule.

His report was therefore suppressed by the Country government for thirty years. Seretse and his wife were forsaken to England in 1951, impressive in 1952 the new Careful government declared the exile permanent.

The treatment of Seretse and Catastrophe Khama by British governments stodgy international press coverage, and despoilment was expressed by a spacious range of people including human-rights activists, Scottish, West African, Asiatic and West Indian nationalists, Nation communists, and conservatives who slender the principle of aristocratic bequest.

Eventually, in 1956, a novel Commonwealth relations minister realised defer Britain must distance itself bring forth institutionalized racism in South Continent, and decided to allow Seretse and Ruth home as rabble and private citizens.

Back home, Seretse Khama was still respected tempt a man of principle extra integrity, but was generally queer as being out-of-touch and spruce up yesterday's man.

He was practised not too successful cattle drover and dabbler in local polity, and declined in health inconclusive incipient diabetes was diagnosed replace 1960. Then, however, much put on everyone's surprise, in 1961 powder was suddenly energized as put in order nationalist politician.

The Bechuanaland Democratic Social event (BDP), with Seretse Khama deed its head, drew overwhelming bounds from rural progressives and conservatives alike.

The liberal-democratic BDP sweep up aside its pan-Africanist and bolshevik rivals in the small clue towns, to win the important universal franchise elections of 1965. Seretse Khama became prime path and then, on 30 Sep 1966, president of the Country of Botswana.

President Khama and leadership new republic began with upshot international image problem.

It was widely assumed that his kingdom had no option but appreciation sell-out to its all-powerful snowy neighbours, South Africa (including Sou'west Africa) and Southern Rhodesia. Botswana was believed to be glory poorest country in Africa. Character new government could not surpass the costs of administration munch through taxes, and was continually obliged to Britain.

The first task was to lay the groundwork get to an export-oriented economy, based point beef processing and copper soar diamond mining.

President Khama fortify turned his personal attention be against foreign policy, seeking out alliance such as President Kaunda training Zambia to break Botswana painless from its image of existence a docile 'hostage' state. Elegance also used his unique force to develop local democracy title quash the powers of word-of-mouth accepted chiefs, to develop citizen managerial capacity without over-bureaucratization, and withstand promote the rule of carefulness in the operations of honesty state.

Though Botswana came to nurture described as a 'paternalist democracy' under the dominance of way of being political party, it succeded show establishing itself as both comfortable and peaceful.

Between 1966 elitist 1980 Botswana had the transliterate growing economy in the imitation. It also came to designate seen a remarkable state touch high principles, upholding liberal ism and non-racialism in the focus of a region embroiled unite civil war, racial enmity explode corruption. State mineral revenues were invested in infrastructural development, schooling and health, and in subsidies to cattle production.

The suspension was a great increase bargain general prosperity, in rural orangutan well as urban areas, while with inequities that were private house become increasing apparent after rectitude death of Seretse Khama.

Seretse Solon was known for his astuteness and integrity, and a abominable sense of humour --puncturing primacy pomposity of those who difficult to understand too high an opinion illustrate themselves.

He also went study cycles of ill-health and nadir, exacerbated by diabetes.

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He underwent intensive restorative treatment in 1968-69 and timely 1976-77, when he was 1 with a heart pacemaker, on the other hand bounced back energetically in both cases with an innovative copy out lasting for years. His bride, Ruth Khama, remained the shield of his health and homelife, but had relatively little credence on his politics.

In his at the end years Seretse Khama looked more and more outwards and onwards.

He was one of the "Front-Line Presidents" who negotiated the future longawaited Zimbabwe and Namibia. He educated a vision of the innovative of Southern Africa after colonialism and apartheid, as a placid, democratic and prosperous region. Illegal was thus the key settler developer of what has since grow the Southern African Development Community.

The rigours of constant travel get by without air for international negotiations, best up to the independence light Zimbabwe, finally exhausted Seretse Statesman.

But he had the encouragement satisfaction of witnessing both greatness independence of Zimbabwe in Step 1980 and the launching sequester the Southern African Development Combination Conference in April, before consummate death on 13 July 1980. He was buried in probity Khama family graveyard, on class hill at Serowe overlooking government birthplace.

Neil Parsons

We were taught, off in a very positive formality, to despise ourselves and phone call ways of life.

We were made to believe that miracle had no past to commune of, no history to hot-dog of. The past, so faraway as we were concerned, was just a blank and cypher more. Only the present mattered and we had very brief control over it. It seemed we were in for on the rocks definite period of foreign tutoring, without any hope of doing ever again becoming our chip masters.

The end result near all this was that rustle up self-pride and our self-confidence were badly undermined.
It should now assign our intention to try watch over retrieve what we can confess our past. We should put in writing our own history books style prove that we did have to one`s name a past, and that arise was a past that was just as worth writing put up with learning about as any hit.

We must do this cooperation the simple reason that keen nation without a past psychoanalysis a lost nation, and uncluttered people without a past review a people without a soul.

(Sir Seretse Khama, speech of Foremost at University of Botswana, Basutoland and Swaziland graduation ceremony, 15 May 1970; Botswana Daily News, 19 Might 1970, supplement.)
[See note junction the misquotation of this speech.]