by teedzani thapelo
In the warm November light of the Kalahari, a new wind stirred. Duma Boko, newly seated as Botswana’s President, stood before Parliament in his inaugural State of the Nation Address.
His words cut through the air with the precision of a hunter’s arrow and the weight of ancient stone: “One of our people is unable to rest, far from his home. Country roads hear him yearn. Please take him home; to the place where he belongs.”
These words, trembling with emotion, marked more than a shift in tone; they heralded a seismic political and moral awakening.
In announcing that Pitseng Gaoberekwe, a San man forcibly removed from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and denied the dignity of burial in his ancestral land, would finally return home, Boko declared a new vision for Botswana—a vision of restoration, inclusion, and unshakable respect for human dignity. His decision to reverse decades of dispossession and bureaucratic hostility not only righted a historic wrong but also signalled a bold reimagining of Botswana’s democratic and cultural future.
Land Wounded by Loss
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is not merely a stretch of desert. It is the sacred heartbeat of the San people, whose stories, songs, and spirits are woven into its golden sands and whispering thorn trees.
Yet, for decades, the San—Botswana’s first people—were driven from their ancestral lands under the guise of progress. Diamond mining, fenced game reserves, and the relentless march of “modernity” relegated them to makeshift settlements where poverty, disease, and alienation gnawed at their souls.
When Boko, then a lawyer in private practice, took up their cause in court, he unearthed a truth that echoed through the ages: no law, no decree, no machinery of government could sever the sacred bond between a people and their land.
Yet, the victory he helped secure with the assistance of British lawyers hired by the San—a landmark ruling affirming the San’s right to return to the CKGR—was met with the cruel inertia of a government intent on delay and obstruction.
Now, as president, Boko’s trembling voice and solemn declaration bridged the yawning gap between law and justice.
The announcement of Gaoberekwe’s burial in the CKGR was more than a gesture of redress; it was a song sung to the wounded land itself, an invocation for healing and harmony.
Philosophy of Dignity
At the heart of Boko’s vision lies a profound commitment to human dignity—a principle that transcends politics to touch the essence of what it means to be human.
In restoring Gaoberekwe’s final rest to the CKGR, Boko affirmed that dignity is not contingent upon power, wealth, or influence but is an inherent right, a flame that burns within every soul, however marginalized or forgotten.
Boko’s human rights philosophy draws deeply from Botswana’s cultural ethos, where the concept of botho—often translated as “humanity”—remains a cornerstone of social values. Botho teaches that a person is a person through others, that individual well-being is inseparable from collective harmony.
In his speech, Boko extended this philosophy beyond the boundaries of the living, affirming that even the dead possess rights—rights to rest, to belonging, to be remembered in the soil that shaped them.
This profound respect for the weak and vulnerable echoes globally significant philosophies, from Ubuntu in southern Africa to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Yet, in Boko’s hands, these ideals are not abstract principles but living commitments, rooted in the sands of the Kalahari and watered by the tears of those who have suffered dispossession.
Nation Reborn
Boko’s new political culture—one that places inclusion and respect for human dignity at its core—holds transformative potential for Botswana. For too long, the nation’s development narrative has celebrated its economic success while sidelining its human costs. The dispossession of the San, the widening gap between urban elites and rural communities, and the erosion of cultural identities have haunted Botswana’s march toward modernity.
Under Boko’s leadership, these ghosts are not to be ignored or buried; they are to be confronted, acknowledged, and integrated into a new story of national renewal. By elevating the dignity of the marginalized, Boko redefines the measure of progress.
Development, in his vision, is not merely the extraction of wealth from the earth but the enrichment of every life it touches. It is the creation of a society where no voice is too small to be heard, no person too powerless to matter.
The decision to bury Gaoberekwe in the CKGR also signals a powerful reclamation of Botswana’s moral authority. It is a declaration that democracy is not merely a system of elections and institutions but a living relationship between a government and its people, grounded in trust, empathy, and mutual respect.
Horizon Ahead
Boko’s actions are not without risk. The decision to prioritize human dignity over entrenched economic interests—particularly in a region rich with diamonds—will undoubtedly provoke resistance from those who profit from the status quo.
Similarly, the cultural shift he envisions will require profound changes in attitudes and structures, challenging deep-seated prejudices and assumptions about who belongs where and why.
Yet, in this moment, Boko’s vision gleams with the clarity of water in a desert well. By standing with the San, he aligns himself with a broader global movement toward restorative justice and environmental stewardship. He positions Botswana not as a nation beholden to extractive industries but as a leader in sustainable and inclusive development—a beacon for other nations grappling with the legacies of colonialism and exploitation.
Spirit of the Kalahari
The Kalahari is more than a backdrop to this story; it is its silent witness and eternal participant. Its vastness mirrors the scale of Botswana’s challenges and opportunities, its resilience a testament to the enduring spirit of its people.
Boko’s speech, steeped in the symbolism of return and reconciliation, draws deeply from this landscape’s power.
In Setswana folklore, the Kalahari is often likened to an old storyteller, its dunes shifting like the pages of an ancient book.
To return Gaoberekwe to its sands is to write a new chapter in that book, one where harmony replaces discord, and respect triumphs over neglect.
Song Continues
As the sun sets on the 10th of December, 2024, and the people of Botswana gather in solemn unity to lay Gaoberekwe to rest, the moment will resonate far beyond the CKGR. It will speak to the enduring strength of a people determined to honour their past while shaping their future.
It will remind the world that progress is not a race to leave others behind but a journey where everyone moves forward together.
In restoring the dignity of one man, Boko restores the dignity of a nation. His trembling words carry the weight of centuries and the promise of renewal.
The winds of the Kalahari will carry that promise, whispering through thorn trees and over dunes, reminding all who listen that in the vastness of the desert, every life, every story, every soul matters.
In this song of the dust, Botswana finds not just its voice but its true self.
The San African 