The Khoisan in Botswana – Can multicultural discourses redeem them?

Chebanne, Andy

doi:10.1080/17447141003639801

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…These concerns were also made by Silberbauer (1981), Saugestad (2001), and recently by Chebanne (2015). The constitutional provision of Article II, section 3, which claims equality, becomes a mere hackneyed chant or window dressing, while those who distinguish themselves linguistically and culturally live in a situation of denial regarding their ethnicity and the rights accruing from it (Chebanne 2002(Chebanne , 2010. To some analysts, the social inequality of these groups is exacerbated by the post-colonial elite's domination of the main Botswanan socio-political processes which determine participation in or exclusion from social and economic amenities, institutions, ethnocultural discourse, and the political economy (Mphinyane 2002;Thapelo 2002).…”

Section: The Misunderstanding or Misrepresentation Of The Khoisan Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is clear from research on the social processes in Botswana that members of the minority groups of this country are, in many accounts, second-class citizens, and this does not seem to bother governmental law-and policymakers (Solway 2002;Chebanne 2002Chebanne , 2010Chebanne , 2015. Even Vision 2016, put together by the Botswanan government's presidential task group in 1997, has legal limitations when it affirms a nation that is equitable, democratic, prosperous, educated, and informed (Botswana Government 1994, but it has not managed to give a voice to the socially-and economically-marginalised.…”

Section: Can Languages Of Poor and Illiterate People Be Developed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…State policies, it has been argued, cannot help develop Khoisan languages as they pursue a linguistic hegemony in favour of the official languages of English and Setswana (Nyati-Ramahobo 2002;Chebanne 2010). As such, in Botswana, the strategy to address linguistic and ethnic imbalance is non-existent.…”

Section: State Policies In Culture and Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…anthropologists, linguists, human rights activists, and outsider activists). Their emphasis has been on free development choice, equity, enjoyment of community rights, and ethnic identity (Saugestad 2001;Chebanne 2003Chebanne , 2010. Now, outside activism and advocacy rely on anthropological and linguistic characterisation, and focus on divergent and sometimes competing interests.…”

Section: How Outside Activism and Advocacy Disregard Language Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Now, outside activism and advocacy rely on anthropological and linguistic characterisation, and focus on divergent and sometimes competing interests. However, the lack of specific focus on language as a right means that the Khoisan will still remain linguistically impoverished (Batibo 2010;Chebanne 2010Chebanne , 2015.…”

Section: How Outside Activism and Advocacy Disregard Language Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The curse of poverty and marginalisation in language development: The case of Khoisan languages of Botswana

Chebanne

Dlali²

2019

SPILPLUS

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Khoisan languages are spoken by tiny and remote-dwelling communities of Botswana, the members of which are characterised by socioeconomic hardships and illiteracy in their own languages and in general. Historically and socially, these people emerged from a life of hunting and gathering, and, in that lifestyle mode, they were easily subdued and exploited by other language communities for cheap and serf labour. Colonialism found them in this social state, and post-colonialism has left them in the same state. As poor and marginalised subalterns, they have not had any means to advocate for their language and culture, and are currently assimilated into other peoples' languages and cultures. Consequently, the remaining languages of these communities, spoken in remote areas by poor people, are threatened with extinction because they remain underdeveloped , under-documented, and are at best still at the stage of documentation by anthropologists and linguists. As illiterate people, the speakers of these Khoisan languages have no survival strategies for their languages in this ever-evolving, modern world. With their poverty and sociolinguistic marginalisation, they are devoid of any means of promoting their languages. This discussion focuses on the pitiful situation of the Khoisan languages of Botswana. Botswana's language-use policy will be critically examined and characterised as one factor in the marginalisation and disempowerment of minority groups, both of which lead to the languages' endangerment and death.

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