Trees

The courtyard has more than 50 trees combining both local and exotic species. Thlagiso was a former member of the Framers’ Brigade which is where he and Tom met in 1967 and has always had an interest in greenery. He planted many trees when he acquired this yard 35 years ago and they have borne much fruit.

The centrepiece of the yard is the aptly named and exotic flamboyant tree with is gorgeous flowers and huge seed pods. There are 2 orange trees whose fruit is still green, but will ripen soon. The guava tree (small green fruit) has yielded much fruit, but the wind has caused many to fall to the ground before they are fully ripe. They are being readied in the shade and have an unusual, slightly bitter, but pleasant flavour. (I was afraid that eating slightly underripe fruit might have some consequences, but so far I have experienced nothing unpleasant. I also safely drink the water!) A cactus in one corner reminds us we are on the edge of the Kalahari desert. Tlhagiso and Tom have planted a couple of banana trees which are struggling do their duty. The pomegranates are now ripe. The pepper tree produces red peppercorns, but it is feared that will not last much longer.

In the museum yard is what appears to be a beautifully dome-shaped shaped tree. In fact it is a tree totally overtaken by a parasitic vine. You can still see a few original leaves in the underside of the vines.

LMS

The London Missionary Society Church has been a major factor in the village since the beginning. This the church that sent the explorer David Livingston to Africa. He came through Botswana in the 1840’s. Chief Khama III, who moved the tribe to Serowe in 1902 because two rivers then ran through this location, was a major builder of the LMS in northern Botswana and abolished male and female initiation. He was also against beer-making and any alcohol. No other churches were allowed. As with most societies, traditional practices found a way to be expressed within the prescribed doctrines.

The first LMS church in Serowe was built by its white missionaries. Sadly, it has fallen into disrepair as you can see. It is a valuable historic building and needs some caring hands to protect and restore it.

The imposing later and larger structure, completed in 1915, was built by Khama. It was the dominant building in the village for most of its history. Khama’s church chair has been preserved in the museum. All royal weddings are held here, and I recall attending one in 1968. The doors are very impressive with their original forged iron hinges.

In 1956 other religions were permitted in the village. There are now many churches in the village, mostly of the apostolic or “faith healing” variety. Some are branches of South African churches such as the ZCC, Zion Christian Church, and many are simply single-congregation churches that gather people under a tent on Sunday.

Pictures and Notes 2

[Another word on photos. I'm uploading them in a "small" format. If you want to see a lagre version, right click and you have different viewing options.]

Pula

It rained today, not just sprinkles. This was also the day I decided to take Tom’s bicycle to go to the new far mall where they have a better selection of products. This is not a place where you complain of being soaked by the rain.

Lost

I often walk to the nearest grocery store, Choppies, and usually take a taxi back with my parcels. This day I decided to walk back for the exercise. Everything looked different going the other way. I was hoping to see a familiar landmark around our courtyard, but soon I realised I was lost. What to do? Even if I did phone Tom what would I say? There are no street names or street (courtyard?) numbers. There was no way I could tell him where I was. I decided I had to make my way back to the store and take a taxi when 2 kids appeared on the path. They knew enough English so I could ask if they knew where Kandu (the grandchild) lived. One of them did and she, in her bare feet, led me to my courtyard. Tom says that the reward I gave her, 5 Pula ($1) was probably the largest sum she had ever possessed for herself.

Family Photo

Twice people have come for Tom ot take a family photo. One was a family with a new baby. They are refugees from neighbouring Zimbabwe where the 83 year-old leader is refusing to relinquish power. They had a cute baby that I could not help but hold.

Snake

This snake skin was drying in front of the museum. When I was here in 1968 I did not see one wild snake. i have been told that they are even more scarce now.

Enterprise

Botswana has always had thriving roadside, now mallside, enterprises. One group of women are selling mostly perishables such as tomatoes and oranges. The other group has beans and peanuts and dried greens that would be reconstituted.

The government is especially keen on getting small business started. There is a lot of help available to young people who qualify - but the businesses are often not successful since the capitalistic ethos is not ingrained in the culture. I have heard Tom advising applicants in how to fill in the grant applications and you can tell that they are not aware of marketing concepts that would be second nature to young people in Canada.

Swaneng Hll School

I finally got to visit my old school. It too is almost unrecognizable. The entranceway showed this immediately. There were 4 large 2-storey buildings that are science and household science labs. We had a good visit with the principal. The school runs on 2 shifts with a total of 2400 students and 152 teachers. Swaneng only serves Forms 4 and 5 (grades 11 and 12) and is for the minority. Most students are expected to complete to grade 10 in Junior Secondary schools of which there are several in the village.

The panoramic view from the hill where the principal lived shows how extensive the grounds are. To the left are gardens and animal pens for agricultural science. Academic buildings are culstered on the right. In 1968 there were only 400 students all high school grades. Half the students boarded and the other half came to the school in the back of lorries. They were picked up in the morning, returned to the village at 4 for supper, came back from 7-9 pm for study hall. The school had discovered that this was the only way to get homework done. A generator provided electricity from 7 until 10 each evening.

The rondavel in which I lived for a year is still there, except that the thatch roof has been replaced with tile. In the hut, which I shared with a Peace Corps volunteer, was a bunk bed and 2 small desks. The communal dining room is also there, but is now a craft center. The main courtyard which was surrounded by classrooms does not appear to be much used. In my day the inner walls did not exist so you could see what was going on in all the other rooms. This helped with the summer heat, but was miserable in the cold weather. Students often wrapped themselves in their blankets. The principal insisted that all staff and students help the school, and our major project was the school hall which has been extended by another third. It now serves as a dining hall and a huge gym appears to also serve as an auditorium.

Tom and I spent 3 hours walking the grounds. A rewarding exercise in nostalgia.

Tom’s comment: the students are taller than they were in 1968, and their English is better. They wear school uniforms now, light blue shirts and dresses with navy blue pants and blazers. The school crest, sewn on each garment, says “Thuto ke Thobo ya Bokamoso”, roughly “Education is our future harvest.” It could well serve as a motto for the whole country.

Pictures and notes

Email

I did have a problem earlier of answering emails while on line and explained that my replies might have seemed cryptic because of my rushing. Tom, who is in fact a professional editor, knows a lot about computers and has arranged for my mail to be downloaded onto the computer. Then I go offline and read and reply at leisure. When all the replies are ready I go back online and send them in a minute or two. So feel free to email at any time (except for pictures which take too long to download on these phonelines).

PS I've given up trying to arrange the photos so they match the text. The version of the program I am working on does not do it easily.

Water

Because water is the chief resource for the country (although diamonds are the money maker for now) it is not surprising that it has its own ministry.

Children are not the only ones who like their picture taken. When I was photoing the Water Ministry sign, 2 ladies waved at me. At first I thought they were telling me not to take their picture, but no they wanted their picture taken. Then a woman form inside came out to have hers taken, then 2 guys across the way also wanted theirs taken. All enjoyed seeing the result. So, from now on, if there appears a person who is not identified in the text, it is someone who asked to have his/her picture taken.

Electricity

The discovery of several coal fields in the country has resulted in large electric plants one of which is quite near the village. Electricity, for most, is purchased much like phone time. You get a card from a kiosk, usually in a Shell station, and you punch in the numbers on your home meter to add kilo wattage. This eliminates billing and makes you very conscious of your usage.

Since connecting to the electrical grid is quite expensive, some families still run on car battery electricity. When it runs out, the kids put the battery in a wheelbarrow and run to the nearest charging service in the neighbourhood.

Kandu

The other day Kandu (the grandson) borrowed my camera, dressed up and had his aunt take this picture of him.

The courtyard

The panoramic view is an attempt to show how big the court yard here is. The main house if on the left and you can see a bit of Tom’s house behind the trees. There is half again of the courtyard behind me as i took the picture. This is used for gardens and for any buildings which family members might add. There is also a picture of Tom in front of his house to give a better view.

Hens

Frequent visitors are the 3 hens from the neighbouring yard. They are always together and Tom calls them the Sisters of Belville, and chases them back to their home.

Bessie Head

[Bessie with Patrick van Renberg and his wife Liz. Pat was the principal of the school I tacght in in 1968.]

Bessie Head is the most important writer Bostwana has produced. She was not born in the country but in South Africa. She was the product of a white mother an unknown black father. Her mother had mental problems and in the end she was raised by a foster mother who she thought was her real mother. This was at the time when the rules separating whites and coloureds were being tightened and Bessie became involved in politics. She managed to get a teaching certificate then ended up working as a journalist in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

As conditions became worse in South Africa she decided to leave with her son and became a refugee in Botswana in 1964. Her husband, from whom she was estranged, was banned from South Africa 6 months later and followed her to Bostwana. He continued on and sought refuge in several countries, eventually becoming a Canadian. Harold Head now lives in Ottawa.

One of the people who helped Bessie when she came to Botswana was Patrick van Rensburg, a voluntary exile from South Africa, who was the founder and principal of Swaneng Hill School where I taught in 1968. He also began a system of vocational training “brigades” to teach skills (farming, building, cattle raising, printing, crafts) to youth who did make it to secondary school.

In 1969, Bessie, who had been writing stories and her first novel When Rain Clouds Gather, had money enough to settle down. Patrick arranged to have a small plot of school land transferred to her. The Builders Brigade built her house.

It was a little unsettling for me a few days ago to be sitting in the courtyard reading the following from Bessie Head’s biography (by Gillian Eilersen) while the subject of the paragraph was singing at the computer not 20 feet from me:

About this time Bessie made another new friend. Tom Holzinger was a young American draft-resister who had moved to Serowe in 1967. Having read When Rain Clouds Gather and being inspired by it, he sought Bessie out when she arrived in Serowe and was something of a match for her in ideas and enthusiasm. Perhaps there was some physical attraction as well, but she gave the friendship a platonic direction by pointing out that she was nearly ten years older than him and calling him her son. “My son,” she said, “will you take care of me?” So he said, intensely: “Willingly.”

Bessie’s subsequent writings came from her small house, and it is a room in this house that Tom and I are re-creating in the museum. I have just reread her next novel, A Question of Power, which I found quite challenging, (of course, says Tom, it is meant to be difficult!), but I know that a couple of members of my book club would enjoy the challenge.

As Bessie’s writings became known, she travelled to Europe, Australia, and North America (including 2 days in Québec) for conferences and interviews. Her life was not easy. Throughout she suffered from mental problems which made relationships difficult. She died in Serowe in 1986.

HIV

Botswana, like other African countries, has been hard hit by HIV. The government has taken a proactive role in educating the people and just this week the local paper MMEGI had 2 articles about it: Good news:HIV/AIDS infection rate drops - reporting that prevalence has dropped from 37.4% in 2003 to 32.4% last year with the highest reduction among the youth: Men have power over HIV spread -reporting on a True Men conference with a goal to be HIV-free by 2016.

As you can see there are billboards of different styles. Note that the free condom box was in the local library. Testing is free as are the drugs for dealing with it and there is a program called PMTCT, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission with 90% success, up from 83% in 2005.

The use of condoms is eroticised and the ones on display in the stores have names like Rough Rider, BareBack, Mr Big and FreedOm. The pictures on the packages match the theme. I have been told that instructors in the schools are very blunt. “Do you want to live or do you want to die? If you do not use a condom you will die!” This message appears to be getting across. We can only wish this country success in its fight against this scourge.

The work has begun

The Khama Museum

The Khama III Museum used to be the official guest house of Khama III (The Great). He was the chief who was the leader when Cecil Rhodes cast his eye south from Rhodesia and thought it was only right that he should control what was then the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland (present day Botswana). Three of the paramount chiefs went to Britain in 1895 to convince the government that Bechuanaland should remain a British protectorate. The British did indeed resist the tempation to give this land over and soon the other neighbour, South Africa also saw it as a natural extension of its territory. By good luck and good management the country remained a multi-racial protectorate until independence in 1966.

This guest house was made into a museum in 1985. Like all cultural institutions it has had its ups and downs. One of the things I am meant to be doing here is helping Tom redo the Bessie Head Room. She was an important writer from Serowe (I’ll do a blog on her next week), and a festival is being held this July on the 70th anniversary of her birth. Tom, a good friend of hers, is helping to organize the festival. The room is as you see it here, but we have now removed everything from the walls and Tom’s goal is to recreate her writing space in a corner of the room with desk, bed and oil lamp. She never had electricity and wrote her first books by candlelight. I’ll try and show you the result.

One important part of the room is her bookself, and the musem hopes to have on display some of the books that she has said influenced her.

Here is where some of you might be able to help. Her first influence was D H Lawrence. If any of you have editions of his works that predate 1960 and were willinng to donate them for the display, you could mail them to Tom Holzinger P O Box 30178 Serowe Botswana.

She then fell in love with Boris Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago and also Poems by Boris Pasternak.