Belgium? Smellgium! Na, just kiddin'. That station was alright. Not great, but alright.
You doin' anything right about now other than eating week old pumpkin bread? Wanna go to Botswana? Great! Let's get going!
we'll meet you there! best get going!
When South Africa was formed in 1910, they expected Britain to tack on the territories that are now Lesotho, Swaziland, and Botswana. Britain was all "yeah, we'll get around to it." But, as those Brits so often are, they were non-committal and never did. There is more to it then that of course, but that's the abridged version. When South African apartheid and their ensuing abdication from the Commonwealth rolled around, South Africa lost all claim to Botswana, who was kept under British control of until the mid-60's, when the Botswana established independence.
zebras?! on your coat of arms?! it's perfection!
Massive diamond deposits were found shortly afterwards and Botswana remains the world's largest diamond producer to this day (1st in value, 2nd in volume.) Nice coincidence, huh? More than that though, they've had FANTASTIC governance. With smart macroeconomic policies and economic development, they've made their country a shining example for all of Africa. At indepedence, GDP per capita was $70. Today it's about $14,000. It went from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income nation, square with Argentina and Chile. It's rated as the best credit risk in Africa, and though diamonds are an essential part of their economy, they still account for only 1/3 of GDP. Tourism, industrial, finance, and agriculture make up the majority of the rest.
Good governance is the reason Botswana is in the position it's in today. No other African nation has done as much to preserve their democracy, and it seems that it's the only mainland African country to not have had a civil conflict since their independence. That's something to be proud of. America can't even say that!
Not all is well and good in Botswanna though. They have one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world. Almost a quarter of their population has has HIV/AIDS. Their government is doing everything that it can to combat the problem, and HIV/AIDS drugs are provided free to all citizens. They have the best, most comprehensive HIV/AIDS program in all of Africa.
just remember: condomise.
With nearly 85% of their country as desert and because they are landlocked, water is pretty valuable in Botswana, so much so that they named their currency "Pula", which translates to water! It is home to the world's largest inland delta though. Only .065% of their land is arable. Dang! In a country the size of Texas, they can only grow food on about half a percent of their land... Drought and desertification are big problems there.
zebras on everything! love it!
Botswanna is also home to the Tsodilo Hills, a place known and visited by humans for about 100,000 years. Holy shit... that's a long time. There are about 4,500 cave paintings there, HUGE stone sculptures, plenty of evidence of ritual, and fascinating creation stories. Look it up if you get a moment. It's worth it.
sadly, no zebras here.
OK, let's tune in to the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone, and enjoy some sub-Saharan rap!
Yarona FM
There is a big play button near the top. You can't miss it!
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