Editors Note

The more reason to celebrate..

They say life begins at 40. I wonder if it is the same for a nation or a country. If it is so, then for Botswana, which is already six years on the wrong side of 40 this month, life has just begun.

Botswana is beginning to be a winning nation especially in sport and arts. The country is beginning to register phenomenal growth in these areas. A few years back no one gave us a chance particularly in football where our national team earned the disparaging tag of “Whipping boys of Africa”. The losses the Zebras suffered overshadowed everything that we were capable of, to the extent that most of us developed a sense of self-doubt and an inferiority complex.

This was despite the successes Mpule Kwelagobe and Kaone Kario notched up in beauty pageants which managed to uplift our spirits to new heights. That is probably because everything seemed to fade out along the way. It seems we did not do enough to sustain the momentum, or so I believe. Or maybe we were just learning how to crawl. Therefore, those who saw us crawling never thought we would one day learn how to walk. They thought we would remain tots forever. Even after Mpule and Kaone’s exploits many still doubted our potential. However, all that is changing now. The world is beginning to notice that there is a small African country which is not only renowned for its political stability and democracy but other for things as well.

In football, we stunned the world and made our critics eat humble when we became the first country to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. We qualified ahead of traditional power houses Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa.

In athletics, Amantle Montsho is 400m world champion. Whenever she takes to the track, the name Botswana rings loud in everyone’s ears. Now there is Nijel Amos who stunned the world with his record breaking time to snatch a first ever Olympic medal for the country in London last month. “Who is this Nijel Amos?” they asked. Well, he showed them who he is and that more is still to come. That is because every year, a Motswana somewhere, in their own little corner, is always striving to make this country proud. Remember that Amos’s success comes on the heels of Emma Wareus who missed the Miss World crown by a whisker to place as first princess.

In this issue we also celebrate 10 women who are making Botswana proud internationally in different fields and leadership positions. Also featured in this issue, is an article on the smooth transition of power in the army and police service which demonstrates our maturity as a nation state. Thus, when one reflects back on the past 46 years as we celebrate our independence on September 30, the more reason to celebrate. We have come of age as a nation in many respects. Therefore, let us waive the blue, black and white colours of our national flag with pride. Let us not lose momentum and build on what we have already achieved as we march towards 2016, which is four years away. Again I take this opportunity to congratulate Amos and the entire Olympic team for making us proud in London. Further, I wish you, dear reader, a happy independence holiday. Pula!

Thomas Nkhoma