Tswang- tswang-tswang, le bone ngwana o tshwana le lecoloured.â This loosely translates to,
âbehold, she is as beautiful as a mulattoâ.
This perennial wedding favorite is always guaranteed to get guests off their seats to join the bride and groom in their wedding step routines.
But there is a backstory to the song that is not very merry. It is the product of the internalization of racialized beauty standards, and the continuation of a long history in which black women have been subjected to incessant messages about European ideals of beauty through music, family, peers, partners, the media, and larger society.
Picture this, you have just started your new job. Your first year is successful. You have built meaningful relationships with colleagues and spent time watching and listening, attempting to get a feel for the culture of your new workplace. Soon, people start sharing recurring themes of gossip, bullying, corruption, coverups, and micromanaging that prevented innovation and so forth. Per your job responsibilities, you share these concerns with your superior. Over the coming months, you experience the high price of breaking the institution’s cultural norms of silence and status-quo thinking. Your degradation ceremony has begun. Your character becomes obliterated, your ties to your colleagues cut
bana ba tsogile jang?) almost always comes up after “how are yous” whenever parents meet and greet.
Most Batswana parents tend to think they know how their children are doing and can spot even signs of depression in their kids. Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case. While many parents bring their child in for help shortly after depression begins, the opposite is far more common than we think.
In fact, research has revealed that even Botswana’s leaders and policy makers do not know how depressed their citizens are. A recent study:
Mental health research in Botswana: a semi-systematic scoping review by Philip R. Opondo, Anthony A. Olashore and, Keneilwe Molebatsi carried out in 2020 “identified a relative scarcity of mental health-related research in Botswana. The few studies identified were mostly cross-sectional and covered only a few aspects of mental health, such as HIV and mental health, and substance use.” According to the researchers, “the findin
21st April 2021
Parents tend to think that they might be able to spot the signs of depression in their adult children.
Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case. While many parents bring their child in for help shortly after depression begins, the opposite is far more common than we think.
Telling the difference between a child’s normal ups and downs and something bigger is among the top challenges’ parents face in identifying youth depression.
Some parents struggle to differentiate between normal mood swings and signs of depression, while some say their child is good at hiding feelings. In many families, the preteen and teen years bring dramatic changes both in youth behavior and in the dynamic between parents and children. These transitions can make it very challenging to get a read on child’s emotional state and whether there is possible depression.
4th April 2021
Stick to one partner! Botswanaâs war cry in the fight against HIV/AIDS has evolved into a gold standard for a committed and safe relationship.
As Botswana grappled with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, a plethora of education campaigns as well as public policy encouraged citizens to engage in sexual intercourse only in monogamous relationships.
Now many years later, suggesting the use of a condom in a committed relationship insinuates lack of trust and is considered bad form.
In fact, most Batswana in committed relationships cannot use condom and monogamy in one sentence, unless they say a monogamous relationship does not need a condom.