Paramount Chief of the Balete tribe Kgosi Seboko is an incredible woman. Not only is she one of the most powerful leaders in Africa, she made history by becomimg Botswana’s first female tribal chief.

I drove half an hour to the village of Ramotswa to meet Chief Kgosi (pronounced kho-see). I’m here today to witness a unique form of tribal government called Kgotla meetings (pronounced khot-la). The Kgotla is an indigenous form of government in which chiefs and counselors meet with the citizens of a village to discuss and resolve various issues. Kgotlas exist side by side and in collaboration with a sound Western-style legal and political system.

The chief was  a pleasant woman in a black skirt suit. Over mango juice, we chatted in her air-conditioned office. The walls were full of framed photos of past tribal chiefs clad in leopard skins and carrying ceremonial spears and shields.

She told me that after her brother died a few years ago, she fought to take his place as chief of the Balete. She told me about her vision for her people and Botswana’s struggle with AIDS.

Later, we got into the chief’s chauffeured Toyota Camry (all tribal chiefs are provided cars by the government) to see the Kgotla building. It was a 1,000-square-foot structure with a dried-grass roof.

“This is where we resolve all our issues,” the chief explained. “We have regular Kgotla meetings and the people attend. We are allowed to address civil and certain criminal cases here. But beyond a certain level of complexity, we have to send the case to the courts.”

Although an indigenous form of government, Kgotlas are a formal system and have to abide by the rules of the supreme court. But what is fascinating is the fact that Kgotlas have fostered an incredibly high degree of freedom of speech in Botswana.

Here’s an example…

In 1991, the government intended to start a huge irrigation project in the city of Maun. As popular participation is encouraged in Botswana, the issue was brought up in a Kgotla meeting. The villagers would have none of it. According to The Washington Post, they yelled in protest, “You will dry the delta! We will have no more fish to eat! No more reeds to build our houses!”

The meeting went on for six hours while the villagers protested. They made it clear to the government officials they didn’t want the irrigation project. The government then canceled the project.

As the chief told me,“We want our people to talk to us. We want them to be free.” And Botswana reaps the fruits of that freedom every day. The country’s economic success is due to its open, progressive government and also abundant natural resources.

While resource rich African nations like Nigeria squandered away their wealth, Botswana used it to invest in its people. Education and anti-retrovirals are free in Botswana and the government has no exchange controls on its currency.

As a result, this free and open country has attracted foreign investment. And the stock market is up a remarkable 2,369% since its inception 17 years ago. What more could an investor ask for?

Regards,

Sala Kannan

Freedom of Speech — Tribal Style was originally featured in the Penny Sleuth.