In an effort to further the relationship between Ohio University and Botswana, Athens welcomed Her Excellency Tebelelo Mazile Seretse to campus yesterday for a public lecture and an informal reception.
The relationship between OU and Botswana began in the 1980s when the university received a five-year tender to establish a faculty of education in Botswana. OU is also home to the richest collection of information about Botswana in the United States.
The lecture by the Botswana ambassador to the U.S. covered topics such as her experience as an ambassador and the situation in Africa, a subject that resonated with audience members.
“People who don’t know much about (Africans) might have stereotypes that the whole continent is like a world of savages,” said Francis Semwaza, a graduate student from Tanzania who is studying African Studies. “But the ambassador told what is really going on there which (most) people just don’t know.”
The lecture was followed by a reception that allowed students and faculty to talk to the ambassador. During the reception, Seretse discussed the importance of Botswana’s political stability.
“Botswana is the most democratic country in Africa, ” Seretse said. “In Botswana, people don’t just talk about democracy anymore. They talk about a higher level of democracy.”
Seretse attributed Botswana’s stability to its government’s “transparent policies,” which she said also contributed to the fast economic development of the country.
Alden Library, which has the most information nationwide about Botswana, also welcomed Seretse, who brought with her more books to enrich the collection.
“There’s still more material that needs to be sent here,” Seretse said.
In addition to a Bachelor of Law from the University of Botswana, Seretse also holds a master’s in economics from the University of Cincinnati, which is her next stop after Athens.
When Seretse came to United States to study in the 1970s, she said she was “vulnerable, very naïve and very ignorant.”
“But I had my eyes focused on my academics. I worked very hard,” Seretse said, adding that the experience allowed her to “best see the two different cultures.”
sw454711@ohiou.edu
