Botswana as a decolonial bastion in Africa

Pinxteren, L.M.C. van

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Centre for Linguistics (LUCL)

Pinxteren, L.M.C. van (2023)

Botswana as a decolonial bastion in Africa

Article / Letter to editor

This paper follows the analysis of Vansina in analyzing colonization as an attempt to destroy and replace Africa’s autonomous cultural systems. It shows that in Botswana, this has been only partially successful. Due to clever forms of resistance,Botswana has been able to keep part of its autonomy intact. This helps to explain the relative success the country has had. However, in the educational field, the country is now also one of the first to be confronted with the limitations that are inherent in the colonial education system. The paperargues that a gradual transition to using indigenous languages as a medium of instruction is practically possible and will become inescapable if the country wishes to reach the goals it has set for itself. In this, special attentionis needed for the speakers of Khoisan languages.

Medium of instruction