Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bate rages around them as to their 'place' in modern African society. As such, the outlook
for the San is uncertain.
Tourism provides some measure of economic opportunity for the San, who are often
employed in Ghanzi- and Kalahari-based lodges as wildlife guides and trackers. But it is
also argued that for this race to survive into the 21st century, they require not only self-
sufficiency and international support but institutional support and recognition from within
the Gaborone government.
For more on the San and the challenges they face in modern Botswana, contact the
grassroots bodies such as
SASI
(South African San Institute;
www.san.org.za
)
or
Survival
International
(
www.survivalinternational.org
)
.
THE HOUSE OF CHIEFS
Democracy may provide the basis for Botswana's political system, but the 35-member
Ntlo ya Dikgosi
(House of
Chiefs) also plays an important symbolic role. A purely advisory body with no legislative or veto powers, the
House of Chiefs has eight members who are hereditary chiefs from Botswana's major ethnic groups, 22 indirectly
elected members who serve five-year terms (most are chiefs or subchiefs of other tribes) and five members who
are appointed by the country's president. The House of Chiefs oversees all legislation that relates to tribal law, or-
ganisations and property, and must be consulted for any proposed constitutional changes. And although its legal
power is limited, it would be a brave president who completely ignored the views of a body that represents signi-
ficant elements of his constituency.
Religion
Batswana society is imbued with spirituality, whether that be Christianity or local indigen-
ous belief systems. For most Batswana, religion is a vital part of life, substantiating hu-
man existence in the universe as well as providing a social framework.
Botswana's early tribal belief systems were primarily cults centred on ancestor worship.
For the Batswana, this meant the worship of Modimo, a supreme being who created the
world and represented the ancestors. Other ethnic groups may have differing cosmologies,
but the majority of belief systems revolve around the worship of an omnipotent power (for
the San it is N!odima and for the Herero it is Ndjambi) and the enactment of rituals to ap-
pease the ancestors, who are believed to play an active role in everyday life.
