GEOGRAPHY IS NOT DESTINY; BOTSWANA EXAMPLE

There are a majority of us who believe that geography is destiny, and this article may upset them. In an interesting geography, in the country of those who struggle against fate, in Botswana.

Africa, when this word is exposed, poverty, hunger, coups, wars  and other concepts with negative connotations come to mind. All the countries on the continent seem to be stuck in this trap. Except for a few countries, the bias is pretty accurate at the moment. Because there have been no modern era revolutions in the world for these giant lands that have just been able to recover from intense colonial activities. One of the countries that broke this pressure is Botswana. Unbalanced and astronomical resource transfers were made by European states that flocked to all corners of the world after geographical discoveries. There was an influx of wealth transfers to Europe in every field, from agriculture to mining, from mining to human resources. There were few regions that were not attractive to European states. Botswana was an area that was avoided to be invaded due to its few human resources, dense nature and large deserts.

“A king is a king by the grace of the people.”  A local Botswana proverb makes it clear that tribal chiefs, unlike their other African kinsmen, are constantly concerned with creating consent. Fearing a Boer (Dutch people who immigrated to Africa) invasion, Botswana chiefs, with the influence of British missionaries, called for a mandate from England. After a series of attempts, the British began to position themselves in the region, although they remained reluctant. They avoided activities that would ensure their sovereignty in the region, in a way that would not go beyond meeting the qualification of "not losing it to the Boers". According to this agreement, the British avoided high investments and Botswana elites did not give up their political influence.

Within British fences, it was governed democratically and had competitive elections. In this way, civil wars and coups, which have become a tradition in African countries, did not occur and stability was established in the country. During this period, mineral exploration accelerated, but Botswana chiefs managed to maintain their autonomy by preventing mineral exploration for various reasons. Because possible major mineral discoveries could bring a brutal exploitation system to this country. Botswana, whose administration became meaningless for Europeans day by day, declared its independence in 1966.

  Seretse Khama, the Founding President of the country, was a very interesting profile in terms of his life. III, one of the old chiefs. He was Khama's grandson and was married to British Lady Ruth Williams. These extraordinary differences made him the most important politician of the country and paved the way for his founding. He would make great strides on behalf of his country, which was his greatest cause throughout his life.

When Botswana declared independence, unlike other British mandates, it did not have a ready infrastructure. Apart from 12 km of asphalt, there was not even a road. Of course, there was a need for financing to fill this huge gap. Before important searches were carried out for the discovery of diamonds and gold under the leadership of Khama, a law was passed by the parliament stating that the mines belonged to the whole country, not the tribe/state. In this way, the culture of "Botswananness" was built and possible major inequalities were prevented. In this way, the "blood apple" disease seen in Sierra Leone and many other African countries was eliminated. Mines quickly became the country's largest export item. The income was spent on establishing the bureaucracy, strengthening the central authority, and investing in infrastructure and education to ensure permanent success. Botswana has become one of the countries in the world that has made the fastest economic and humanitarian progress in the determination of destiny achieved as a result of many stars coming to favorable positions. It started its journey as one of the poorest countries, growing at an average rate of 7% per year, and continues as a middle-level country. It has strengthened its economy by reducing the share of diamonds, which constitute 90% of its exports, to 70% by adding different sectors over time.

As a country ignored by the world despite its great cultural heritage, it has managed well politically among apartheid countries such as Namibia, South Africa and Rhodesia. From the first moment after its establishment, it has managed to shine in a place like Africa by largely ensuring the construction of inclusive and strong institutions, as mentioned by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their book The Fall of Nations. It showed that geography is not destiny by standing out from many continental countries.