Gaborone & Lobaste, Botswana: Reflections by Sarah

As I reflect on my summer experience, I realized that the Urban Morgan office of Human Rights gave me an opportunity that few people get in a lifetime. It is because of the department that I was able to travel to a new country and have new experience that will shape my future. The best …

Gaborone & Lobatse, Botswana – Working at the High Court – Sarah

My duties at the High Court include conducting legal research, analyzing pending motions, drafting judicial orders and decisions, and attending daily court sessions. I have learned a lot about Botswana legal system mainly through research, observations during Court proceedings, and through various conversations with the Court Staff members and lawyers. Botswana legal system is based …

Culture(s) & Society: Gaborone & Lobatse, Botswana – Sarah

Etiquette Similar to many African countries, respect is highly valued and expected in the Botswana culture. Good etiquette is seen through greetings as it is considered polite to address senior men as Rra, which means father, and women as Mma, which means mother. From my stay here, the past two weeks, I have observed how …

History of Botswana – Sarah

Gaborone & Lobatse, Botswana Origin & Migration Botswana is a landlocked country, which borders South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia. The country is 581,730 square kilometers in area—about the same size as France. In 1971, the Botswana population was 600,000. Today the country’s population is estimated to 2 million people. Like many African countries, before …

Before I Go: Sarah

Why I wanted to go to Botswana. As an undergraduate student at Xavier University, I did an independent research on Ending Child Marriage in Africa. From my research, I discovered that despite the existence of international collaborations and national laws against child marriage, the marriages of girls <18 years of age still exist. What’s worse, …

Botswana Basics

Ronnie, History, Gaberone, Botswana. Bechuanaland Bechuanaland was declared a British Protectorate in 1885 to protect against the rising forces in South Africa. The British eventually wanted the territory to merge with Cape Colony or with Rhodesia. Although there were many attempts to annex Bechuanaland, they were all halted by Bechuanaland leaders. During the years of …

Before I Go (and a few days after I arrived)

Ronnie, Before We Go, Gaborone, Botswana. Why I Wanted to Experience Africa Being an African American in the United States, one can feel disconnected from not only mainstream American society but also in terms of heritage. Most of what we learn in school about black history involves oppression: from the slave trade to the Jim …

Reflecting On My Time in Botswana

Patrick Cincinnati, OH Reflection Post I’ve been back from Botswana for a little over a week. Seen my first rain fall since May. Moved apartments. Sweat in the humidity. Ate some pizza [for those interested, my current standings for “best countries for pizza” is as follows: (1) USA; (2) Belize, (3) Zimbabwe, (4) Botswana, (5) …

My Externship Experience in Botswana

Patrick Externship Gaborone, Botswana Like my fellow bloggers on Legally Abroad, I came to my summer externship through the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights (UMI). UMI allows students to spend the summer working with human rights organizations, international judges, human rights attorneys, governmental agencies, or UN bodies through an externship. I have been spending …

My Time in Botswana

Patrick Gaborone, Botswana My previous posts touched on the culture and history of Botswana, but haven’t provided much insight as to my life here. With this post I hope to express to you little tidbits as to what my experience has been like here in Botswana – beginning first with music. So what’s the music …