what is Botswanan literature?
The greatest part of the territory of Botswana is occupied by the Kalahari desert, another one is the landlocked delta of Okavango. No wonder that it is one of the poorest and most sparsely populated countries in the world. The dominant ethnic group is the Bantu-speaking Tswana. They are believed to have moved to this part of Africa from the north, sometime around 600 CE. Up to 1300 CE, great herds of cattle, belonging to the Mapungubwe, thrived in the areas free from the tsetse flies. It was around that time that the first Tswana-speaking people moved into the southern Kalahari. In the first half of the 19th century, their lifestyle based on pastoralism was shaken by the attacks from the south; it was the so-called Mfekane period of military conflict and migrations (1823-1843). Women and children, as well as cows, were kidnapped and led out of the country.
In the 1840s and 1850s, the Batswana chiefdoms could recover due to the commerce with the British Cape Colony. When the Afrikaners established themselves in the Transvaal, right on the border of Botswana, the coalition of local tribes led by Sechele I defeated them at the Battle of Dimawe (1852). The peace was established in 1860 and since that time commercial relations between both communities were established, as well as the missionary work of the Lutheran priests. Christianity became an official religion in this part of the world more or less at the time of the ww1.
Contemporary Botswanan literature is considered quite strong, as for a country of less than 3 millions of inhabitants. Among the most recognisable authors there are Barolong Seboni and Bessie Head. Her novel When Rain Clouds Gather (1968) thematises the dream of successful farming, cherished by Makehaya who flees the Apartheid South Africa to establish himself in Botswana. Nonetheless, the modernising inspiration clashes against traditional instances, such as the village chief.
In the 1840s and 1850s, the Batswana chiefdoms could recover due to the commerce with the British Cape Colony. When the Afrikaners established themselves in the Transvaal, right on the border of Botswana, the coalition of local tribes led by Sechele I defeated them at the Battle of Dimawe (1852). The peace was established in 1860 and since that time commercial relations between both communities were established, as well as the missionary work of the Lutheran priests. Christianity became an official religion in this part of the world more or less at the time of the ww1.
Contemporary Botswanan literature is considered quite strong, as for a country of less than 3 millions of inhabitants. Among the most recognisable authors there are Barolong Seboni and Bessie Head. Her novel When Rain Clouds Gather (1968) thematises the dream of successful farming, cherished by Makehaya who flees the Apartheid South Africa to establish himself in Botswana. Nonetheless, the modernising inspiration clashes against traditional instances, such as the village chief.
I have read... nothing ...
|
Vertical Divider
|
I have written... nothing ...
|
