Beacon of hope: Human Rights and decolonisation in Botswana, 1960-80

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of Archaeology and History, College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Commerce, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

This thesis is a history of human rights and decolonisation in Botswana from 1960 to 1980. It argues that Botswana became a ‘success story’ for human rights because the post-colonial leadership interpreted these principles as conducive to the vital interests of the state. The project joins a growing list of case studies, at the vanguard of the scholarship, that unmasks the contribution of small non-Western states to the international history of human rights. At independence in 1966, the country was economically underdeveloped and geographically vulnerable, surrounded by white minority regimes like apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia. To become a viable and autonomous state, Botswana used human rights idealism to attract assistance from North America and Western Europe. The investigation traces the development of President Seretse Khama’s concept of ‘non-racial democracy’, a philosophy based on international standards of human rights. By enshrining political liberties and individual protections in Botswana, he offered a model for how these principles could be applied in Southern Africa, thereby undermining the legitimacy of neighbouring white minority regimes. Western nations, especially the United States (US), gave substantial amounts of aid to Botswana as a reward for its efforts. Not restricted to a liberal-democratic version of human rights, Botswana earned respect in independent Africa for its advocacy of collective liberation in the region. This challenges the view, held by many scholars, that the movements for individual human rights and national self-determination were mutually exclusive. With the use of original archival material from Botswana, the United Kingdom, and the US, this thesis also offers a new political history of the country’s lead up to independence and its external affairs by showing the important role of human rights ideas and debates. Botswana’s acclaimed ‘success’ in human rights was an outstanding example of image-building in circumstances where survival was tied to international visibility.