Botho/Ubuntu: Community Building and Gender Constructions in Botswana, 2016

Abstract

Botho/Ubuntu is a community-building ethic that urges individuals to define their identity by caring, welcoming, affirming, and respecting the Other. Tis article investigates how botho/ubuntu ethic was understood and manifested in traditional Botswanan communities. It explores how botho/ubuntu is expressed in the preparation and arrival of a new daughter-in-law, the reception of the mother-in law, and the preparation for the arrival of a new baby. The article analyses these three cases to investigate the possible co-habitation of botho/ubuntu with patriarchy by exploring the practices and rituals surrounding the welcoming of new members by the community and key hosts. The investigation focuses on marriage and the arrival of a new daughter-in-law (ngwetsi); mother-in- law (matsale) as a key host; and the arrival of a new baby, including the care offered to a nursing mother (go baya botsetse). It seeks to examine how botho/ubuntu practices create female spaces and networks while t still co-existing with patriarchy in the Setswana rituals and practices of welcoming the Other. The article will also explore how women are using some of these activities to create female cultures that deconstruct oppressive gender roles.