Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > World Forums > Africa
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-22-2012, 07:43 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
2,169 posts, read 5,147,928 times
Reputation: 2473

Advertisements

I've been to South Africa a couple of times but never made it up to either Botswana or Namibia. The more I read about these countries -- especially Botswana -- the more I'm intrigued. I did a search here on C-D and didn't find a lot. Is Botswana really as peaceful and prosperous as this video below would seem to indicate? It seems like it was made by the Botswana Chamber of Commerce so it probably should be taken with several grains of salt.


Best Country of Sub-Saharan Africa - Botswana - YouTube

But then there are also lots of stories like this:

Botswana economy set to sparkle after diamond deal - CNN.com

Has anyone been to/lived in Botswana? What's the real story? And how does it compare to its neighbors like Namibia and South Africa in terms of political stability, democracy, crime, and lifestyle?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-22-2012, 07:56 PM
 
1,446 posts, read 4,581,879 times
Reputation: 990
I have not been there so I can not completely answer your question. However, based on what is reported in the media and most reputable reference sources, it does appear to be doing better than most (if not all) other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is supposed to be the most economically developed, other than South Africa, in Sub-Saharan Africa; modern infrastructure, decent health care, more educated population, etc. Much of this has to do with the political stability of the country (no coups since independence) and lack of ethnic divisions (vast majority of the population is Setswana). Also, the political leadership is supposed to be much more competent and less corrupt than most others on the continent. So based on what I have heard, there is most likely some truth to what you have heard about it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-22-2012, 08:11 PM
 
508 posts, read 883,133 times
Reputation: 232
Botswana supposedly has a fairly high standard of living relative to most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Much of this has to do with the fact that Botswana is a fairly homogenous nation. But the real story behind Botswana is: Diamonds. Unfortunately, Botswana has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the entire World.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-22-2012, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
2,169 posts, read 5,147,928 times
Reputation: 2473
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayTwila View Post
Unfortunately, Botswana has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the entire World.
But even regarding the AIDS epidemic, there seems to be good news now:

Botswana's 'Stunning Achievement' Against AIDS : NPR
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-22-2012, 08:23 PM
 
508 posts, read 883,133 times
Reputation: 232
Wow! Well thank you very much. I missed the good news. I like good news and adore NPR. Gotta pause Rachel on MSNBC to listen to this. Maybe Botswana can be an example.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2012, 12:33 AM
 
7,511 posts, read 11,297,833 times
Reputation: 3632
Here's an example of what Botswana's first president did differently from other new African leaders.


Quote:
Unlike other countries in Africa, his administration adopted market-friendly policies to foster economic development. Khama promised low and stable taxes to mining companies, liberalized trade, and increased personal freedoms. He maintained low marginal income tax rates to deter tax evasion and corruption...

Seretse Khama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
These same economic policies could have been implemented in other countries after gaining independence. Instead too many new leaders wanted to emulate the Soviet's command economy. Also Botswana for a long time was one of the few African countries that allowed for more than one political party. Other leaders could have done the same. Instead they wanted to be "president for life".

Last edited by Motion; 08-23-2012 at 12:45 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2012, 07:37 AM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
2,169 posts, read 5,147,928 times
Reputation: 2473
That's very interesting. I wonder why the people of Botswana -- the political and economic leaders and the electorate -- are so much more open to these ideas than all of the millions of others on the continent. I read somewhere that the tribes that make up Botswana always had a more democratic way of running things, even before the Europeans came along but I don't know if that's true or not. I'm going to have to put it on my list of places to visit. Is Namibia the same?

It also says something about the people of Botswana that they've consistently held on to these values from independence onward even though their neighbors -- South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, the various Congos -- were in total uproar for much of the last half-century.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2012, 01:08 PM
 
7,511 posts, read 11,297,833 times
Reputation: 3632
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrueDat View Post
That's very interesting. I wonder why the people of Botswana -- the political and economic leaders and the electorate -- are so much more open to these ideas than all of the millions of others on the continent. I read somewhere that the tribes that make up Botswana always had a more democratic way of running things, even before the Europeans came along but I don't know if that's true or not.
Many pre-colonial African societies had similar democratic approaches that could have been used as an influence. I can't remember all the details but empires such as the Mali and Luba were known for their ability to govern diverse populations. Many pre-colonial African societies were organized into confederations which could be a better way to govern today's African countries with diverse ethnic groups.



Here's what I read on the Luba empire:


Quote:

The Luba empire's expansion was due to its development of a form of government that was durable enough to withstand the disruptions of succession disputes and flexible enough to incorporate foreign leaders and governments. Based on twin principles of sacred kingship (balopwe) and rule by council, the Luba model of statecraft was adopted by the Lunda and spread throughout the region that is today northern Angola, northwestern Zambia, and southern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kingdom of Luba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2012, 07:14 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,063 posts, read 106,896,974 times
Reputation: 115814
President Clinton visited Botswana to highlight African success stories. Corruption is low, they have a good AIDS-education program, they have a lot going for them, including mineral wealth. Unfortunately, the Bushmen have been pushed off their traditional land to make way for mining, so there are human rights issues there, but overall it seems stable politically. Seems like a good place to visit. The positive reports are true.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2012, 09:18 PM
 
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,606 posts, read 55,773,299 times
Reputation: 11862
Well what do you know. Good to hear! Always thought it was just Kalahari bushmen living there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > World Forums > Africa
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top