A nation is composed of people from different ethnic groups who share a common territory and history. While ethnic groups within a nation may have distinct origins and languages, they are encouraged to also learn the national language to promote unity. Nations are formed through both military conquest and peaceful diplomacy. Nation building requires resolving tensions between ethnic groups to avoid conflicts that could escalate into violence and loss of life. Traditional leaders play an important role in mediating conflicts.

1.  A nation is a group of people or a community of people living in
the same territory.
 One can say that a nation is made up of citizens of a specified
country who usually have certain features in common such as
history or language.
 However, in some instances a nation may comprise people of
different Merafe whose origins may be different.
 For instance, we have Botswana nation commonly known as
Batswana which comprises many groups among others
Batawana, Bakgatla, Bakalaka, Basarwa and many others.
 All these ethnic groups differ in origin and in some cases in
language.
Nation Building

2.  However, it is important to note that all people are encouraged to
speak Setswana which is our unifying language and one of the
official languages in the country.
 People are also encouraged to socialise in their own languages to
hand their culture down to their next generations.
 All people from their different Merafe are seen as Batswana who
make up the Botswana nation.
 We can rightly refer to them as Batswana despite their different
ethnic groups.
 South Africa is today referred to as the "rainbow nation" because it
is composed of people from a wide spectrum of origins such as the
Indian, Dutch, Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu and many others.
Nation Building cont.

3.  If you are somebody who likes History you should have come
across a famous Zulu leader by the name of Shaka Zulu.
 Shaka became famous for his war tactics or methods that led to
the rise of the mighty Zulu Nation.
 One can say that Shaka was a great nation builder.
 There are many people who have built mighty Kingdoms and
nations through wars and conquests.e.g Mzilikazi of Ndebele
and Sebetwane of Kololo.
 However, other nations have been built through peace and use
of diplomacy such as the Basotho nation by King Moshoeshoe 1.
Nation Building cont.

4.  The nation of Botswana came into being through the
efforts of different Dikgosi who led their Merafe during
wars.
 The different Merafe settled at different locations for
different reasons.
 However, it is important to note that all the different
Merafe in Botswana constitute one nation, the Nation of
Botswana.
 The different Dikgosi and Merafe then worked together to
bring peace amongst their people or ethnic groups who
are now one nation.
Nation Building cont.

5.  A consensus or agreement has to be met at all times to pave for
a peaceful way forward.
 Many people experience different challenges that they have to
face and resolve.
 This conflict resolution start from a small set up such as a ward
or Kgotlana to larger establishments such as a country.
 In Botswana and other countries in Africa there are "tribal"
leaders whose main duty is to mediate between two people or
ethnic groups if there is any conflict or misunderstanding.
 A "tribal" leader in Botswana calls the Morafe especially the
elderly people who help in resolving any conflict.

6.  Nation building has never been an easy task.
 It is characterised by many challenges including tension,
conflicts resolution and consensus.
 Within a nation people may differ in the way they view or
look at certain issues.
 Remember that a nation is made up of people of different
background.
 Some people within the nation or ethnic group within the
nation may feel badly treated by others.
 Feelings like this one may be justified or unfounded.
Challenges of Nation Building

7.  One thing common within the nation is that conflicts that are
not resolved or handled properly may lead to wars and loss of
people's lives.
 In countries like Rwanda a conflict erupted between two ethnic
groups, the Tutsi and the Hutu.
 These over two ethnic groups are part of the Rwandan nation.
The conflict between the ethnic groups led to the death of 500
000 (half a million) people in 1994.
 it also affected even those who did not belong to such groups.
 To avoid these unnecessary killings conflicts among people need
to be solved peacefully.
Challenges of Nation Building

8.  These people usually gather in the central place of a village called a
Kgotla which at times acts like a court of law.
 It is in the Kgotla where different people's views are taken and the
views of the majority are adopted by reaching a consensus or an
agreement.
 If one party is wrong he or she is told openly and advised on how
best to handle such issues in future.
 One thing important and unique to the nation of Botswana is the
belief in solving any conflict peacefully.
 There is a saying in Setswana that goes thus; "Ntwa kgolo ke ya
molomo", meaning "it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war".
 This simply means that it is better for people to settle their
differences by negotiating rather than engaging in a physical fight.
Challenges of Nation Building