Biography of Sir Seretse Khama, African Statesman

Seretse Khama (July 1, 1921–July 13, 1980) was the first prime minister and president of Botswana. Overcoming political resistance to his interracial marriage, he became the countrys first post-colonial leader and served from 1966 to his death in 1980. During his tenure, he oversaw Botswanas rapid economic development. Fast Facts: Sir Seretse Khama Known For:  First prime minister and president of post-colonial Botswana  Born:  July 1, 1921 in Serowe,  British Protectorate  of  BechuanalandParents: Tebogo Kebailele and  Sekgoma Khama IIDied:  July 13, 1980 in Gaborone,  BotswanaEducation: Fort Hare College, South Africa; Balliol College, Oxford, England; the Inner Temple, London, EnglandPublished Works: From the Frontline: Speeches of Sir Seretse KhamaSpouse: Ruth Williams KhamaChildren: Jacqueline Khama,  Ian Khama,  Tshekedi Khama II, Anthony KhamaNotable Quote: It should now be our intention to try to retrieve what we can of our past. We should write our own history books to prove that we did have a past, and that it was a past that was just as worth writing and learning about as any other. We must do this for the simple reason that a nation without a past is a lost nation, and a people without a past is a people without a soul.   Early Life Seretse Khama was born in Serowe,  British Protectorate  of  Bechuanaland,  on July 1, 1921. His grandfather Kgama III was paramount chief (Kgosi) of the Bama-Ngwato, part of the Tswana people of the region. Kgama III had traveled to London in 1885, leading a delegation which asked for Crown protection to be given to Bechuanaland, foiling the empire building ambitions of Cecil Rhodes and the incursions of the Boers. Kgama III died in 1923 and the paramountcy briefly passed to his son Sekgoma II, who died two years later. At the age of 4, Seretse Khama effectively became Kgosi and his uncle Tshekedi Khama was made regent. Studying in Oxford and London Seretse Khama was educated in South Africa and graduated from Fort Hare College in 1944 with a Bachelors degree. In 1945 he left for England to study law—initially for a year at Balliol College, Oxford, and then at the Inner Temple, London. In June 1947, Seretse Khama first met Ruth Williams, a WAAF ambulance driver during World War II who was working as a clerk at Lloyds. Their marriage in September 1948 threw southern Africa into political turmoil. Repercussions of  Mixed Marriage The apartheid government in South Africa had banned interracial marriages and the marriage of a black chief to a British white woman was a problem. The British government feared that South Africa would invade Bechuanaland or that it would immediately move for full independence. This was particularly a concern for Britain because it was still heavily in debt after World War II. Britain could not afford to lose the mineral wealth of South Africa, especially gold and uranium (needed for Britains atomic bomb projects). Mixed Marriage Controversy Resolved Back in Bechuanaland, the regent Tshekedi, Khamas uncle, was annoyed. He attempted to disrupt the marriage and demanded that Seretse return home to have it annulled. Seretse came back immediately and was received by Tshekedi with the words, You Seretse, come here ruined by others, not by me. Seretse fought hard to persuade the Bama-Ngwato people of his continued suitability as chief. On June 21, 1949, at a Kgotla (a meeting of the elders) he was declared Kgosi and his new wife was warmly welcomed. Fit to Rule Seretse Khama returned to Britain to continue with his law studies, but he was met with a Parliamentary investigation into his suitability for the chieftaincy. While Bechuanaland was under its protection, Britain claimed the right to ratify any succession. Unfortunately for the British government, the investigations report concluded that Seretse was eminently fit to rule. The British subsequently suppressed the report for 30 years. Seretse and his wife were banished from Bechuanaland in 1950. Nationalist Hero Under international pressure for its apparent racism, Britain relented and allowed Seretse Khama and his wife to return to Bechuanaland in 1956. They could return on the condition that both he and his uncle renounced their claim to the chieftaincy. What the British did not expect was the political acclaim that six years of exile had given him back home. Seretse Khama was seen as a nationalist hero. In 1962 Seretse founded the Bechuanaland Democratic Party and campaigned for multi-racial reform. Elected Prime Minister High on Seretse Khamas agenda was a need for democratic self-government and he pushed the British authorities hard for independence. In 1965, the center of Bechuanaland government was moved from Mafikeng, South Africa, to the newly established capital of Gaborone. Seretse Khama was elected as Prime Minister. When the country achieved independence on September 30, 1966, Seretse became the first president of the Republic of Botswana. He was reelected twice and died in office in 1980. President of Botswana Seretse Khama used his influence with the countrys various ethnic groups and traditional chiefs to create a strong, democratic government. During his rule, Botswana had the most rapidly growing economy of the world (starting from a point of great poverty). The discovery of diamond deposits allowed the government to finance the creation of new social infrastructure. The countrys second major export resource, beef, allowed for the development of wealthy entrepreneurs. International Roles While in power, Seretse Khama refused to allow neighboring liberation movements to establish camps in Botswana but permitted transit to camps in Zambia. This resulted in several raids from South Africa and Rhodesia. Khama also played a prominent role in the negotiated transition from white minority rule in Rhodesia to multi-racial rule in Zimbabwe. He was also a key negotiator in the creation of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) which was launched in April 1980, shortly before his death. Death On July 13, 1980, Seretse Khama died in office of pancreatic cancer. He was buried in the Royal Cemetery. Quett Ketumile Joni Masire, his vice president, took office and served (with reelection) until March 1998. Legacy Botswana was a poor and internationally obscure country when Seretse Khama became its first post-colonial leader. At the time of his death, Khama had led Botswana to become more economically developed and increasingly democratic. It had become an important broker in Southern African politics. Since Seretse Khamas death, Botswanan politicians and cattle barons have begun to dominate the countrys economy, to the detriment of the working classes. The situation is more serious for the minority Bushman peoples, which form 6% of the countrys population, with pressure for land around the Okavango Delta increasing as cattle ranchers and mines move in. Sources Khama, Seretse.  From the Frontline: Speeches of Sir Seretse Khama. Hoover Institute Press, 1980.Sahoboss. â€Å"President Seretse Khama.†Ã‚  South African History Online, 31 August 2018.â€Å"Seretse Khama 1921–80.†Ã‚  Sir Seretse Khama.

TOK Essay What is it About Theories in the Human Sciences...

Ever since the beginning of the Revolution of science, the western world has valued the scientific improvement over any other, placing scientific theories and leaders on the base above their equals in lower sectors of society such as leaders within the business sector or governmental leaders, which leads to the question: Why is it that the Sciences and theories are held in such as great respects? With the two different areas of knowledge what results and consequences, do these two different sciences utilize methods such as observation, empirical evidence and the scientific method, in the development of theories? These two areas of knowledge have key differences at their conclusion, which leads to their differences in their ways that they†¦show more content†¦Scientific theories are not always completely reliable. But then again why do people think that certain theories are so definite that they have settled with the theory being true? A reason for that could be that scientif ic method that the scientists develop to apply their respective theories and conclusions are so reliable that we even put our confidence into it. One of the ways of knowing, Reasoning is what the theories in natural sciences mostly rely on and where the scientific methods are developed from. The method of testing observations, and having reliable and consistent results, in a process which many participate and improve based upon describing in objective matter. There are several theories that we have come across, one of them, which involves chemistry is the â€Å"collision theory†. The theory itself provides a great explanation to why chemical reactions occur and reasons for the reactions to vary for multiple reactions. Experiments that are performed by a class showed the same results, with the statement as the concentration of the reactants increased, the same it did to the rate of the reaction. This was a simplified view on this problem, as it demonstrates the strengths of the scientific method and what the result comes with the theories with natural sciences; in which repeated trials produce the same results, which will in turn strengthen the theory more. This way, the theories in natural sciences are convincing, because the theories are

Africans in the Berlin Conference Free Essays

Africans in the Berlin Conference The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 established most of the borders of contemporary nation-states on the African continents today. The Conference set in motion the â€Å"scramble for Africa. † Out of the 14 African states no African leader was present at the conference to assert claims to territory and to agree to regulations on trading. We will write a custom essay sample on Africans in the Berlin Conference or any similar topic only for you Order Now Five of the states at the conference did not even end up with any colonies but had more of a say than all the African leaders. The boundaries in Africa, drawn during the Berlin Conference, greatly attributed to the political unrest in Africa. During the Berlin Conference all the participants signed a notion that said they could not have colonies unless they have full control of the territory they encompassed. The European powers had to send expeditionary forces to pacify what were called their African â€Å"spheres of influence. † This process was bloody and ugly due to the amount of Africans fighting back. These pacifications lasted all the way up to World War 1. These uprisings caused anarchy in some places in Africa. Only Ethiopia successfully kept their freedom militarily. But all across Africa, hundreds of polities large, and small fought to destroy these superimposed boundaries. Pre-existing political entities found themselves arbitrarily or deliberately divided in two, three, or even four parts. The main Hausa territories were split between French Niger and British Nigeria, the Maasai suddenly had to practice nomadic pastoralism across a line between German and British East Africa. Conflicts in Africa could definitely were partly caused by boundaries drawn during the Berlin Conference. Uganda’s numerous civil conflicts are pure evidence. Also the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1971 can partly be traced back to the Berlin Conference. Conflicts between states also can be traced to the Conference because of the ridiculous political geography they put in place. Examples of these conflicts are Cameroon and Libya’s with Chad. The finger of Namibia that sticks out across the top of Botswana, known as the Caprivi Strip has been a geopolitical hotspot ever since it appeared on the map. The Berlin Conference was a very unjust and unethical. They drew out boundaries for Africa without the African leaders consent and then took over all of the nations. The Berlin Conference was definitely connected to the political unrest in Africa. How to cite Africans in the Berlin Conference, Papers

Assignment Mulally free essay sample

Assignment # 3 ‘’ Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor company â€Å" Leadership and organizational behavior- BUS 520 Abstract Leadership is guiding people towards productive results to achieve the goals of the organization. An effective leader has the ability to motivate and influence others. The following sources of power represent the engine of influence that they use effectively and ethically to achieve their goals, however, true leaders are supposed to make the employees work hard by giving their efforts and making sure that the goals and the mission of the organization are achieved.To be effective every leader should have the following competencies: Vision, Integrity, Honesty and Values Releasing Potential and Energy. The content of this paper is to outline the roles of leadership and how it affects organizational performance. It then discusses the role of Allan Mulally’s, CEO of Ford Motor Company, and leadership style. The paper also presents how mulally decision to set a goal has increased the company’s performance and mentioning how Allan Mulally’s openness has gained him trust and helped him to reach his goal. Alan Mulally moved to Ford in 2006. He had worked at Boeing since 1969. He had been chief engineer for development of the 777, and was later Vice President of Engineering for commercial aircraft. Mulally had no sales experience, and he wasnt a Detroit car man, â€Å"Much less a car man at all. He sold his Lexus after moving to Dearborn. Whats most impressive is Mulallys results oriented leadership style. His management is crisp and authoritative, although he defers to the firms design experts on the minutiae of the product lines.But on the big questions of the companys past mistakes and where its headed, Mulalley made key decisions that placed Ford in good stead. When mulally testified before Congress in December 2008, along with GMs Rick Wagoner and Chryslers Robert Nardelli, he announced that Ford would be able to survive the recession without a bailout. In 2006, Alan Mulally became the CEO of Ford. At the time, the company was relying heavily on their truck revenue and had several other lines that were not properly supported to earn the best revenue.Some of Mulally’s first decisions were to sell off some of their sub brands, namely Jaguar and Land Rover, and focus more on the small car lines that are becoming more popular with consumers. With a focus on the small cars, this would allow for the company to benefit from economies of scale and increase the profits from selling those cars. He also took out a $23 billion loan to help avoid needing the bailouts that would come 2 years later. Mulally threw away the politics involved in the vice president structure, forcing the weekly leadership meeting to be more about the success of the company than the squabbles of those leading it.He insisted that the vice presidents actually admit to their problems so they can be handled; having operations be labeled either green for going well, yellow for caution, and red for problems. The vice presidents were apprehensive of this at first, afraid to admit their problems and failures, but Mulally made it apparent he wanted to know these issues to resolve them, instead of to sweep them under the rug or assign blame. Finally, Mulally put forth a new mind set for the company; One Ford, involving a One Team, One Plan, One Goal setup.One Team focused on uniting the individual group in Ford into one cohesive team, each member helping out other members, no matter what project they are on or division they are in. One Plan was about restructuring to operate profitably, accelerate development to get new products that customers would want to buy out sooner, finance the plan, and work together as a team. Finally, One Goal was all about developing an exciting viable Ford with profitable growth. Mulally have a more hands on approach to leadership. He wants to know exactly where the company is and how they were going to get someplace better. This is shown with his color coded operations technique with the vice president meetings. His answers to problems weren’t just to shrug them off and go back to the status but rather how to proceed from where those problems brought them. Alan Mulally demonstrated organizational innovation; he used different methods of production and administration. Conveying his ideas and leadership, mulally exhibited his innovation that comprised the ideas from outside Ford in conjunction with those ideas from within Ford Motor Company.The message he portrays involves  planning initiation, execution, selection, and implementation of the objectives to achieve the goals set forth by his administration The success of an innovation is connected to a market forecast of customer needs and wants as well as effective management of the innovation  process. Concentrating on a fewer products to produce with a lot of improvement and service innovation involving the introduction of a new service that m eet the customers’ expectations. He has high regard for executive management and maintains open communication. Mulally has an agenda to serve and satisfy not only customers, but employees as well, increase market share, increase profits, and communication is at the top. Alan Mulally has a proven effective leadership style. He is persistent with innovative  processes that address issues within the organization to ensure successful development. His management responsibilities include reducing the risk; managing the customer interface; training and managing staff performance; and engaging Ford’s executive team.Highlighting how successful his tactic can be Mulally has insured his reputation as one of industry’s great leaders; it is well worth paying attention to what he says and learn from his leadership skills. Any successful leader has to know the plan, and areas that need special attention. There are challenging times to be a leader whether it is a cultural crisis, financial crisis, or environmental crisis, but, if one can learn from the experience of a leader such as Alan Mula lly, an organization will do just fine and be one of the respected models to follow and learn from.