Editors Note

Let’s Have a National Heroes’ Day

Batswana have never fought for peace and independence. One would say we were lucky we gained independence without any bloodshed. Again, since Botswana was founded, we have never experienced any internecine war. Ours has always been a very stable country and war is something that we know from movies and news. When you talk about war to a Motswana it is something abstract.

Our way of living as Batswana has invariably been underlined by the mantra of “ntwakgolo ke ya molomo”. Thus, we fight but we fight with words. Even then, it is not words that can injure one’s feelings. It is not words that can lead one to react with physical violence. Therefore, bloodletting is not something we are known for. However,  in 1978, at the height of the Rhodesian insurgency, we experienced one of the worst tragic moments in the history of Botswana when we lost 15 soldiers in an ambush at Lesoma.

One writer, writing in the Kutlwano issue of April 1978 would sum it up thus “Fifteen young human lives are the last thing anybody is prepared to lose. Our dead warriors should be remembered as the highest price we paid...” Yes!...that was the highest prize we ever paid as Batswana to continue living in peace and harmony. The nation mourned. It was a sad and traumatic moment for a young nation that was only learning to walk. The soldiers were the first crop of young men who sacrificed their lives for the defence of the nation.

Poems and eulogies were written about these young souls. We promised never to forget them. However, there is something odd about us Batswana. We forget too easily hence this 1978 writer in Kutlwano would sum it up thus: “But only a few years from now the brave young men will be a mere dim memory of bad days gone.” I am inclined to concur with this writer. How many of us still remember this Lesoma bloodbath? How many of our young generation know about it?

It was only in 2011 that the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) decided to make February 27 a remembrance day for the fallen heroes. Only a few, mostly family members and service men gather at the Extension 14 cemetery in Gaborone to commemorate the Lesoma tragedy. It passes as a low profile activity in our national calendar of events. February 27, unlike September 11 in the United States of America, October 20 in Kenya, September 17 in Angola and August 26 in Namibia, does not appear in our national calendar of very important dates.

Whereas in Botswana we just have a small tombstone and monument, in Namibia and Zimbabwe they even have heroes’ acres covering huge pieces of land. Remember the writer who said “Fifteen young human lives are the last thing anybody is prepared to lose. Our dead warriors should be remembered as the highest price we paid...”  In this issue, we reproduce an article from our April 1978 issue of Kutlwano and also carry a story of one of the parents of the victims to remind us of this important day in our history...

...about men who died for their land, for their dignity and for peace. I also concur with BDF’s director of protocol and public affairs, Colonel Tebo Dikole, that “Our hope is that such events would become national events as there are unsung non-combatant heroes and heroines who have immensely contributed to the development of this county”. Col Dikole further says such events could also be used to honour individuals who uphold the Vision 2016 pillars. I totally concur. Let us have a national heroes’ day to honour our own heroes and heroines! ENDS