Botswana’s leaders worry that the country’s youth are becoming too individualistic and interested in their rights and are not taking seriously their responsibilities as citizens. What are young people's aspirations? How can they help Botswana confront the challenges facing a nation which has provided a rare African example of stability and growth?

A paper from the Universities of Botswana and Glasgow explores notions of citizenship expressed by a selection of Botswana’s young adults and youth leaders. The authors argue that members of Botswana’s post-independence generation understand their responsibilities, but in a context of enlightened self-interest, rather than through the traditional concept of duty for duty’s sake.

Since independence in 1966 this sparsely-populated nation has moved from being one of the poorest countries in the world to a stable middle-income country. However, wealth from diamonds and livestock has been accompanied by an influx of foreigners, goods, services and cultural values that many young citizens (Batswana) see as a result of colonialism and the inability by the government to nationalise services.

The gap between the lifestyle, attitudes and values of urban populations and rural areas is growing. Luxury shopping malls are found alongside subsistence agriculture. A multicultural expatriate community in the two largest cities now comprises seven percent of the population. Steady increases in health and life expectancy could be reversed by HIV/AIDS prevalence rates which are among the highest in the world.

Botswana provides citizenship education through social studies curricula in the formal schooling system. Although the official National Youth Policy – written in English – uses the words ‘active citizenship’ such a notion cannot be readily translated into the country’s other official language, Setswana.

Key issues highlighted by interviews with focus groups of 18 to 25 year-olds are:

• Concepts of harmony, family and spirituality all inform the sense of what is acceptable citizenship behaviour, particularly among females.
• They have absorbed proverbs, myths and taboos which serve as social guidelines and a means of behavioural control.
• There is a growing tendency, with increased schooling, to question values they were taught at home.
• They are concerned about the way they are excluded from participating in decision-making.
• They are uneasy about traditional consultation structures such as the kgotla (community meeting place), which is presided over by the traditional chief and privileges the voices of elderly men.

Education is creating critical thinkers. Young Batswana are primarily concerned with modern risks that affect their livelihoods and concerns for social justice. Young people need to acquire the skills and capacity to influence, rather than simply react, to change and to feel they have a voice in the development of their own society.

It is important that young Batswana should:

• be allowed to play a major role in civil society organisations – thereby developing leadership skills and deepening democracy by proposing new forms of governance
• be encouraged to engage with villages and rural communities and take part in participatory development strategies
• learn about participatory rural appraisal techniques in order to constructively engage with indigenous knowledge systems and local cultural values
• encourage reflective participation in local solutions to local problems.

Source(s):
‘What Citizenship Responsibility Means to Botswana’s Young Adults: Implications for Adult Education’, British Association for International and Comparative Education, Compare, vol. 36 (1), pages 5-21, by Julia Preece and Dama Mosweunyane, March 2006
'Perceptions of Citizenship Responsibility amongst Botswana Youth', Lightbooks: Botswana, by Julia Preece and Dama Mosweunyane, 2004

Funded by: University of Botswana Office of Research and Development

id21 Research Highlight: 31 March 2006

Further Information:
Julia Preece
Adult and Continuing Education
University of Glasgow
St Andrew's Building, 11 Eldon Street,
Glasgow, G3 6NH,
Scotland, UK

Tel: +44 (0)141 330 3057
Fax: +44 (0)141 330 1821
Contact the contributor: J.Preece@educ.gla.ac.uk

University of Glasgow, UK

Dama Mosweunyane
Adult Education
Faculty of Education
Private Bag 00702
Gaborone, Botswana

Tel: +267 3552068
Fax: +267 585 096
Contact the contributor: mosweunyane@mopipi.ub.bw

University of Botswana

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