One of the recommendations of the 1977 Report of the National Commission on Education (henceforth RNCE) is that “the University should establish a Centre for Setswana Studies (CSS) which could assist the development of Setswana reading materials” (Republic of Botswana 1977:77). Such a centre would focus on “the development of and research into Setswana” (Republic of Botswana 1977:178). It is 38 years since such a recommendation was made and still such a centre has not been established. In this column I argue for the relevance of a Centre for Setswana Studies (CSS) and demonstrate how CSS would be of strategic benefit to national interest of of Botswana. The paper also puts forward some of the areas Setswana culture and language which could be offered by the University of Botswana.
The 1977 education commission chaired by Prof. Torsten Husen, Director of the International Education, University of Stockholm, Sweden, had at the core of its recommendations an aim to redress the historical imbalances brought about by Botswana’s position as a British protectorate.
The commission therefore recognised in its preliminary pages that: “For 81 years until 1966 Botswana was the Bechuanaland Protectorate under British rule. Not surprisingly, the institutions and culture of the colonial power were imposed on the country. To some extent the indigenous culture became submerged and many Batswana were encouraged to believe that their own cultural inheritance was inferior to that imported by the British. With Independence has come the opportunity to reassess this situation, to reassert the national identity, and to build a society which gives expression to the noblest values from the past” (Republic of Botswana 1977:11). The commission therefore recommended that there was a need to “reassert the national identity and to built a society which gives expression to the noblest values from the past”.
To create a unified nation and reinforce national cultural identity, the commission identified language in the educational system as a critical component. It argued that: “Language is one means by which cultural identity is strengthened, but education provides other ways to inculcate in every Motswana a sense of pride in and identification with his or her cultural heritage. … The education system should orient young people toward the social, cultural, artistic, political and economic life of their unique society and prepare them to participate proudly in it” (Republic of Botswana 1977:12).
Setswana was therefore identified as a language to be used to foster national unity and national cultural pride. Every Botswana national was urged to rally after the national language. “The pursuit of unity calls for every Motswana to appreciate his or her rights and responsibilities as a citizen of Botswana, to become fluent in the national language, and to take pride in the national cultural heritage” (Republic of Botswana 1977:30). “Secondly, the curriculum of the school must stress national unity and national identity. A fundamental requirement is the national language, Setswana, must be mastered by all, for it is an essential means of communication between Batswana, and is the medium through which a great deal of the national culture is expressed” (Republic of Botswana 1977:31).
The essential recommendation of the commission was not to replace Botswana’s multilingualism with a single local language, Setswana. Just as English was an official language with educational and economic value.
Setswana was seen as a national language functioning as a symbol of national culture and pride. This point must be emphasised, in arguing for a centre for Setswana Studies I am not arguing against the development of other languages in the country. Indeed many of them can benefit from being taught in our schools as well as being used in community radio stations, were they to be established.
The establishment of a Centre for Setswana Studies is also important since it is a national research priority as the Setswana language, literature and culture are under pressure from international forces and the ubiquitous English language. What is currently lacking is the establishment of a Centre for Setswana Studies (CSS) as recommended by the 1977 Education for Kagisano which will strengthen the position of Setswana as a national and regional language. University of Botswana is Botswana’s first university built on community contributions. Its vision is “to be a leading centre of academic excellence in Africa and the world” (University of Botswana, 2008:4).
To achieve such a vision the university must establish academic units which will individually be centres of excellence. Establishing a centre fully committed to the research and teaching of Botswana’s national language which is also a key regional language has the potentially of making University of Botswana a centre of excellence for Setswana studies with the potential to attract students and Setswana researchers from the region and abroad.
The teaching and research of Setswana thus presents a niche area for the University of Botswana’s research and publication. If nurtured adequately the centre has the potential to increase research funding levels and provide opportunities for involving more Setswana researchers in collaborative research. The establishment of a Centre for Setswana Studies as proposed here will also encourage interdisciplinarity and inter-countries research, teaching, outreach and scholarship that are in harmony with the vision, mission and values of the University of Botswana and that of Botswana.
There is a move to develop very strong Setswana departments as illustrated by developments at South African universities such as University of Pretoria and North West University (NWU). CSS will therefore have very strong links regionally and will increase University of Botswana’s competitiveness regionally as well as internationally. The University of Botswana has an advantage over other regional institutions which teach Setswana, such as NWU, since the larger part of its Setswana researchers are PhD holders with an impressive research profile. The researchers are however spread across university departments without a Setswana centre which could harmonise their research.
The University of Botswana also possesses some outstanding researchers in Setswana linguistics, lexicography, literature, theatre, music, law, and culture in general who are spread across different university departments. This pool of expertise is a source of support for establishing a fully-fledged Centre for Setswana Studies. The establishment of a Centre for Setswana Studies will also facilitate the access of the Setswana language into functional and scientific domains of language of research and the medium of instruction at university level.
The elevation of the academic status of Setswana will also ensure that it serves as a facilitator for the development of other Botswana languages through an inter-ethnic dialogue on indigenous and cultural matters. It should be recalled that some of the impediments at the official level are due to the misperception that Setswana is in competition with many Botswana languages. But if Setswana is taken as a national language and intervening in higher functional domains, other languages of Botswana can be developed and promoted to intervene at their appropriate regional domains.
