It rankles with one Botswana National Front (BNF) veteran that of late, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) leaders are increasingly being referred to as “bagolo” (singular “mogolo”) and not as “comrades.” In itself, “mogolo” is an unproblematic term of respect but in the final years of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rule was often used sycophantically to refer to tender-hoarding party luminaries likely to be in the shade of a marquee at public events than butchering a carcass at the open-air kitchen. “Comrade”, which gained popularity following the French Revolution, has evolved into a form of fraternal address between socialists and workers. “Bagolo” makes the veteran in question think of BDP’s class system and not comradely egalitarianism of Dr. Kenneth Koma’s days. That is a light example but there are heavier ones of how the UDC is slowly shading into BDP.
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