Report on the Dispatch to Botswana:
Arrangements for on-site workshops & field excursions
Akira Takada
Professor
Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies
Kyoto University
From August 7, 2025 to September 6, 2025, I visited mainly Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, and a local village of New Xade to conduct fieldwork on the ecological future of child rearing in the contact zone between hunter-gatherers and agro-pastoralists in Africa.
In Gaborone, I first visited the office of Associate Professor Budzani Gabanamotse-Mogara of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Botswana. Associate Professor Gabanamotse-Mogara promotes linguistic research on Bantu and Khoisan languages at the School of African Languages and Literature. She is a particularly important overseas research collaborator in this project’s discussions on language socialization and educational policy in Botswana’s contact zones. She is also an old acquaintance of Professor Nakagawa and mine, both members of this project, dating back to before the project’s inception. This visit involved discussions about a local workshop and field excursion being planned by me, Associate Professor Gabanamotse-Mogara, and Professor Emeritus Andy Chebanne of the University of Botswana (Photo 1). The workshop and field excursion, scheduled for late October in Ghanzi District, will focus on early language education for speakers of the Khoisan languages in Botswana and the revitalization of indigenous knowledge. During this meeting, Dr. Gabanamotse-Mogara, Dr. Andy Chebanne, and myself exchanged detailed opinions on the participants, program, arrangements for facilities at the venue, and logistics. Additionally, Dr. Gabanamotse-Mogara and Dr. Andy Chebanne shared insights on the social situation and changes in educational policy following last year’s historic change of government in Botswana. They also discussed research themes for Kyoto University graduate students planning doctoral research in Botswana. It was a highly meaningful and enjoyable time.
In Gaborone, I also met up with Tomoe Noguchi, a doctoral student at ASAFAS and my advisee, and visited the Embassy of Japan in Botswana, the JICA Botswana Office, the Immigration Department, and the Department of Child Welfare and Basic Education (the government agency overseeing non-formal education, where Ms. Noguchi is leading the research; Photo 2). Due to space constraints, details of the discussions are omitted, but each organization provided valuable information for advancing the action research of this project going forward.
Furthermore, in Gaborone, a research meeting was held with Dr. Tebogô Thandie Leëpile-Donald of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). She serves as a Food Systems and Public Health Nutrition Researcher at BIUST. At the University of British Columbia in Canada, where she obtained her doctoral degree, I was also a member of the advisory board supervising her studies. Her ongoing research on nutrition and health among residents in rural areas of Botswana is expected to make a significant contribution to this project. During this meeting, we were able to have a meaningful exchange of views on her practical research promoting health education aligned with Botswana’s culture and context, as well as on the regulation of alcohol and drug use.
Subsequently, we traveled overland for a long distance to the village of New Xade, one of the main sites of this project. I have continued my long-term study in New Xade, which is home to the G|ui and Gǁana people, known as the indigenous hunter-gatherers of the central Kalahari, with a current population exceeding 1,500. Upon arriving in New Xade, long-time friends warmly welcomed Ms. Noguchi and me. My association with New Xade spans nearly 30 years, fostering friendships that transcend generations. Walking through New Xade at dawn, I sincerely felt the profound value of long-term fieldwork (Photo 3). This project, aimed at revitalizing indigenous knowledge and promoting educational activities for the next generation of residents, hopes to deepen these friendships.
At New Xade, I further conducted research on mental disorders and disabilities among the G|ui and Gǁana people. The following concepts are relevant to this research:
dzúā-dzùà: v. to become mad and violent. (synonyms: ɡǁà̰ō, dzùbā, ǂùī)
pìrī-pìrì: v. be foolish.
ŋǃóbó: n. mute (because of impairment).
(Nakagawa et al. 2025)
Among these, dzúā-dzùà is a symptom that has become particularly problematic in recent years. People afflicted with dzúā-dzùà suffer from the belief that many people are talking about them, insulting them, or trying to kill them. As a result, they fear people, utter strange things, or flee. Many residents believe dzúā-dzùà is linked to stress from settling down, alcohol consumption, and drug use. Its association with Western medical concepts of mental disorders like adjustment disorder and schizophrenia is also plausible. I aim to conduct further research in collaboration with medical institutions and traditional healers there.
After leaving New Xade, I moved to Maun, home to a regional airport. Maun is a global tourist destination and the gateway town to the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Photo 4). Maun is also home to the Okavango Research Institute (ORI), which forms part of the University of Botswana and serves as a global hub for research in environmental science and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). ORI holds significant importance for this project, which promotes empirical research on children’s socialization and parenting from an ecological approach. I visited ORI, paying courtesy calls to Director Mpaphi Casper Bonyongo and Deputy Director Oliver Moses. An overview of this project was presented, and valuable discussions were held regarding future research collaboration.
In summary, this visit was again filled with active fieldwork and action research, making for a productive stay. I extend our gratitude to all the relevant institutions and individuals who made this possible.
References
Nakagawa, H., Sugawara, K., & Takada, J. A Gǀui Dictionary. (Unpublished manuscript)