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                                             Pula. Botswana Journal of African Studies vol.16, nO.2 (2002)
   Research Note
   Understanding the development experiences and
   aspirations of one Basarwa settlement in Botswana:
  failed implementation or relentless colonialism?
  Keitseope Nthomang,
  Social Work, University of Botswana
  E-mail: Nthomang@mopipLub.bw
     I\eitseope 'vthomang is currently a lecturer in the department of Social Work at the University of
     Botswana. He graduated from the University of Botswana with a Bachelors degree in 1992 and
     completed a Masters degree in Social Policy at the McGill University in Montreal. Canada. in
      1995 He had fimding from the University of Botswana in 1999 to pursue his Ph.D. studies at the
      University 0/ Queensland, Australia and is connected to the on-going NUFU collaborative
     program between the University of Tromso and the Umversity 0/ Botswana. For the past eight
     years Nthomang has taught undergraduate courses in Community Development and Social Policy
     at the Universitv of Botswana, with a particular focus on what is, or could be, the role of
     Community Development (CD) in tackling the Basarwa problems in Botswana.
  This research note gives an overview of the doctoral research I conducted in 2000-0 I. The
  study entitled: Understanding        the Development       Experiences    and Aspiratiol1.l' of One
  Basarwa Settlement in Botswana. Failed Implementation or Relentless Colonialisms was
  conducted among the Basarwa in the Kanaku settlement in the Southern Administrative
  District of Botswana (Mabutsane-subdistrict).
     My motivation to conduct this study has stemmed from my own professional experience.
 As a lecturer in the Department of Social Work, and a member then of the Basarwa
 Research Committee (BRC) and a human rights activist, I became aware of the injustices
 experienced by the Basarwa in Botswana in the name of "development".                    A number of
 concerns about the situation of the Basarwa, relating to the context, process and application
 of development policies and programmes, were raised both locally and internationally with
 regularity. Engaging in these forums and participating in research activities, seminars and
 conferences supported by the BRC changed me in a fundamental way. The experience has
 taught me that the current environment                in which the Basarwa are stigmatized,
disempowered and held with contempt by the dominant Tswana groups and the government
offers them little hope to realize their aspirations for development programmes.                  So, I
became interested in the processes that contribute to the continued marginalisation of the
Basarwa and the search for answers, hence the conceptualization of this research.
    The research examined the situation of indigenous peoples in a global context and linked
it to the situation of the Basarwa in Botswana and the various development approaches and
strategies undertaken to address the situation. Specifically, the study explored how Basarwa
resident in the Kanaku settlement understand development, as a result of their experiences
with the Remote Area Development Programme (RADP), and what their aspirations are for
appropriate development         programmes.    The study highlighted both the immediate and
underlying problems responsible for continued failure in the implementation of the RADP
projects in Kanaku. Using a theoretical-historical        perspective of multiple colonization as a
framework, I examined how the process of "development"                has been and continues to be


                                                   168
 used as a tool of colonization by dominant groups in society. I argue that the outcomes of
 development have been detrimental to the lives of the Basarwa and have functioned
 primarily as tools of colonization. The research calls for alternative development strategies
 to address the situation of the Basarwa in Botswana.
 Rationale and linkages to the Basarwa context
 In Botswana, and indeed globally, there is a growing concern about the decline in the
quality of life for indigenous peoples (Burger 1990; Good 1993; Hitchcock and Holm 1993;
Nthomang 1999, 2002; Saugestad 200 I) in spite of continued efforts to assist in improving
their socio-economic, political and general quality of life. Thus despite Botswana's
remarkable economic growth since the early 1980s and its ability to invest extensively in
the social sector and increase access to social services, the Basarwa living in remote areas
are generally excluded from the fruits of social development enjoyed by mainstream
population groups in Botswana (Kann et al. 1990; eMI 1997). The experiences of the past
three decades in Botswana have shown that past and current government development
policies and programmes have been unable to mitigate poverty, deprivation and
marginalisation of the Basarwa. What makes the situation worse is the fact that, over the
years there has never been any coordinated attempt to engage in critical analysis about why
quality of life for the Basarwa has not improved, despite various development intervention
efforts. There is also a tendency by government officials to blame the Basarwa for policy
and programme failures rather than to engage in a mutual examination of the approach,
practice and implementation of development policies and programmes in the Basarwa
context. Little has been done to determine the reasons for such failures, with a view to
developing effective development interventions. It is pertinent then to ask: (i) why have
development interventions not worked for the Basarwa? And (ii) what are the possible
strategies to tackle their situation?
   A number of well-established scholars, practitioners, researchers and activists have set
out to examine these questions (Hitchcock 1996; Le Roux 1996; Mazonde 2002 a, b;
Mogwe 1992; Saugestad 200 I). Their efforts have highlighted the need to reassess current
development approaches. The limitations of past and current approaches and strategies are
increasingly being recognized. While the objectives of the previous and present
development approaches remain of critical importance, there is an urgent need to determine
effective ways to improve the current situation of the Basarwa. Previous research has
provided only partial and incomplete answers to the above questions, due to three main
reasons:
    (I) Basarwa knowledge and understanding of their own situation has largely been ignored by
   mainstream development discourses. Most empirical research has relied on knowledge as defined
   by these dominant discourses, which are deemed objective and verifiable. Thus, other forms of
   knowledge have been disregarded.
   (2) Methodological limitations in earlier research have potentially undermined Basarwa definition,
   understandings, experiences, as well as their aspirations for appropriate development programmes.
   (3) Practical limitations have led to a gap between policy objectives and the translation of
   objectives into action. There is essentially, a lack of political commitment to the realization of
   policy objectives.
   These research deficits provided motivation for the present research, which aimed to (i)
generating a theoretical/knowledge base; (ii) improving policy outcomes and (iii)
empowering Kanaku residents. It has addressed some of the conceptual, methodological
and practical limitations of previous research and, in this way, offers a comprehensive
picture of the Basarwa situation and their visions for appropriate development programmes.


                                              169
Methodology
In order to examine the Basarwa's experiences within the RAOP and their aspirations for
development, a qualitative, multi-method research design was used. Ninety-seven Basarwa
resident in the Kanaku settlement participated (directly or indirectly) in the three stages of
data collection. The data collection involved four techniques: focus group discussions, in-
depth interviews, informal conversations and field observations. Focus group discussion,
complemented by in-depth interviewing, was the primary data collection for this research.
The methodology was founded on the notion that the Basarwa have a unique knowledge
base derived from their personal experiences, understandings and aspirations. Thus the
Basarwa understand their problems well and are probably best suited to guide and provide
solutions for themselves.
Findings
The findings of the study have highlighted and confirmed many of the concerns raised in
the literature on the Basarwa in Botswana (see, for example, Good 1993; Hitchcock 1980;
Wilmsen 1989; Wily 1982) in relation to the colonial nature of the development processes.
In particular the findings confirmed assumptions underlying this study that government
development policies and programmes implemented under the auspices of the RAOP in
Kanaku function primarily as vehicles of colonization. The analysis based on people's
voices and my observations demonstrate the colonial nature of the development
programmes, including but not limited to, the tendency to ignore the perspectives and
voices of the people and to impose decisions from the top. This has often resulted in people
playing the role of spectators in their own development. It is for this reason that people
often become totally dependent on the government for development.
   The findings of this research also highlight two issues which should be of interest and
concern to policy-makers and implementers: first, the issues concerning the Basarwas'
experiences with the RAOP and, second, the Basarwa's aspirations for appropriate
development programmes. The research demonstrated that, if these issues and aspirations
are ignored and orthodox models of development perpetuated, development initiatives in
the Basarwa communities are in danger of continuing to be unresponsive and irrelevant to
their situation.
    In this research, it has been shown repeatedly that the RAOP is unresponsive to the
needs, problems and aspirations of the Basarwa. For example, despite its introduction in the
early 1970s, the Basarwa of Kanaku and similar settlements have continued to experience
profound exploitation, subjugation, poverty and marginalisation. The realities of daily life
for the Basarwa include: lack of basic life necessities (such as food, clothing, shelter, paid
jobs), negative attitudes underlying provision, access to and utilization of services provided;
dependency on government welfare programmes (mainly food handouts); top-down
 approaches to local development; lack of consultation; that is, ignoring the voices of the
 Basarwa and, denying them the right to be heard; lack of respect and recognition of them as
 equal partners in the development processes; denial of the right to participate in local
 development processes; subordination of the Basarwa's interests to those of the dominant
 Tswana-speaking groups and negative attitudes of service providers towards the Basarwa.
    However, and despite the above problems, the findings of this research are that the
 Basarwa in Kanaku settlement have developed certain aspirations for appropriate
 development programmes. These aspirations include: consultation; importance of the
 kgotla; respect and dignity; recognition as equal partners in the development process;
 relevant education, skills and training for capacity building; freedom from Bagkhweni


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 (Tswana-speaking       dominant groups); economic independence and ownership of economic
 resources; self-employment        and political representation.
    The overall finding of this research is that, despite many decades of development
 programming, the RAOP has not improved the Basarwa quality of life, but instead has
 served to perpetuate existing problems, thus reinforcing the perception that government
 development programmes function primarily as vehicles of colonization.
 A Basarwa-centred        development paradigm: the future
 Throughout the research, two things have become clear: the appalling situation and
 underdevelopment        of the Basarwa communities,          and the need for and potential of a
 Basarwa-centred development paradigm. Clearly, efforts to improve quality of life for the
 Basarwa by the RAOP have not succeeded but instead continue to deteriorate.                      Two
 questions arise:
     (i) How and in what ways can a Basarwa-centred development paradigm be employed in Botswana
    to deal effectively with the problems facing the Basarwa communities?
    (ii) What is the appropriate role of a Basarwa-centred development paradigm. given the level of
    marginalisation and underdevelopment of the Basarwa communities?
     To answer these questions at a practical level requires the creation of a new order, new
 culture and new politics. I suggest that to address the dysfunctional consequences of failure
 in the implementation        of the RAOP will require structural changes, in particular the
development of new institutions for Basarwa governance. It will also require the reform and
 in some cases an overhaul of the existing institutional arrangements for dealing with the
resources provided through the RAOP. Genuine partnerships between the government and
these Basarwa institutions must replace the current mechanisms, which are controlled by
the government.
   Of Basarwa problems, it is important that efforts to address their situation adopt a long-
term view. Short-term quick fix solutions must be avoided because they have hitherto failed
to produce positive results. A Basarwa-centred           development paradigm appears to be more
appealing than conventional approaches currently practiced by the RAOP. It may provide a
platform to engage the government, non-governmental                 organisations,  community-based
organizations, the Basarwa and other stakeholders in dialogue, in order to find appropriate
ways to address the situation facing the Basarwa. It is hoped that this approach will
contribute to the development of innovative strategies that will respond effectively to the
problems posed by 'relentless colonialisms'.
   The goal of this research in both the short and long-term is to work closely with all
stakeholders to promote research with, and not only for, the Basarwa. To achieve this aim, I
endeavor to engage Kanaku residents in community-based              action research to enable them to
get together to clarify and further reflect on their experiences, to identify key features of
their problems and to share their stories with others for continued action (see, for example,
Stringer 1996, 1999). This approach may create possibilities to engage with and prepare
both the Basarwa and the government to develop and adopt meaningful and appropriate
policies and programmes within which the experiences of the Basarwa and their aspirations
for development can be pursued, so as to increase the likelihood of achieving the ultimate
aim of development--improving          their quality of life.
Conclusion
In this research I conclude that, despite decades of development programming, the quality
of life for the Basarwa has not improved, instead it has deteriorated. The findings of this


                                                   171
research indicate that, underlying the rhetoric of the Basarwa development,                    there are
processes suggesting that development in the Basarwa communities has been organized in
ways that serve the interests of dominant Tswana groups and government,                        and thus
primarily function as vehicles of colonization. It is therefore essential to engage in an in-
depth analysis of the effects of colonization on the Basarwa, in order to unravel the often-
unquestioned        institutional  assumptions    that construct,    entrench and perpetuate         the
marginalisation       of the Basarwa in Botswana. Once these assumptions are understood, it
may be possible to move towards the development of appropriate solutions, based on the
principles     embodied        in Basarwa    understandings,    experiences    and aspirations       for
development programmes.           In these ways, we will have the opportunity to create and
enhance the quality of life for the Basarwa. Failure to do so will amount to further relentless
colonialism.
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