Refine Search

The Welcome Rain of Truth in Botswana

“GOROGA ka pula”​—“Welcome with the rain.” This traditional greeting of Botswana is appropriate, often containing depth of feeling, for this is a hot, dusty, semiarid country where rain means so much to life. Likewise, righteously disposed people in Botswana welcome the refreshing rains of spiritual truth from God’s Word, the Bible.

Known formerly as Bechuanaland (when under British rule), Botswana lies in the heart of southern Africa, between South Africa, Zimbabwe and South-West Africa/​Namibia.

Most of the rivers flow for only a few days after a flash flood. But, in many cases, for months after the flow has stopped water can be obtained by digging holes in the sand of the dry riverbed. Even the Okavango River, which brings a heavy flow of water from Angola in the north, never reaches the sea. It forms a delta embracing a huge area, called the Okavango Swamps, and is full of a great variety of wildlife, including elephants and lions. It finally evaporates in the Makarikari salt lakes.

No doubt the climate is the main reason why the population of Botswana (718,000) is very small when compared to its size, 216,911 square miles (561,800 km²). That is over four times the size of England.

For many years, Botswana has enjoyed relatively stable and peaceful conditions. Until recently it was one of the few countries in the world that had no army. The two official languages are English and Setswana.a Very significantly, the basic unit of currency is the pula meaning “rain”!

OPPOSITION OVERCOME

In 1932, two of Jehovah’s Witnesses visited Botswana and placed 1,700 publications containing the message of God’s kingdom. This was the first little shower of spiritual truth in this country. But at that time there was no one to continue the ‘planting and watering’ work. (1 Cor. 3:5-9) Moreover, a serious problem arose. In 1941, due to war hysteria, the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned in this land, then a British colony. Moreover, a former chief had decreed that only three religions had the right to establish churches: the Roman Catholic Church, the London Missionary Society and the Seventh-Day Adventists.

Nevertheless, waters of truth seeped through. During the 1940’s and 1950’s some of the menfolk from Botswana obtained work in South Africa, learned the truth while there and, on returning home, brought the Kingdom message to their families and neighbors.

These new Witnesses soon came under the fire of opposition. Some were flogged by chiefs for preaching, being charged with bringing another religion into the country. A visiting overseer, Joshua Thongoana, was arrested twice and told to leave the country. On the second occasion, he was brought before the local African court. A minister of the London Missionary Society was present. His church had the monopoly on religion in the area and he was obviously determined to keep it. However, in the discussion Thongoana did so well in explaining his work and the Kingdom message from the Bible (the minister had not even bothered to bring one) that the chief dismissed the case.

Until the ban was lifted in 1959, arrests of the Witnesses were many. However, with Jehovah’s help they stood firm.

BREAKING FREE FROM WRONG PRACTICES

In most parts of Africa there are many local customs and practices that are based on superstition and witchcraft and, hence, are displeasing to Almighty God. For example, when an African becomes sick, he usually consults a witch doctor, who “throws the bones” and then tells his client what he considers to be the cause of and remedy for the trouble. A common belief is that the “spirits” of ancestors are involved and have to be pacified. Horns of animals are displayed on roofs of huts for “protection” against the “spirits.” In 1961 a determined effort was made to help the local Witnesses to break free from these strongly entrenched traditions.

Consider the case of a young sister who received an urgent message from her father to return to her home village. Instead of an emergency, she found that the family was preparing to “bless” a new house by means of witchcraft. For this pagan ceremony, each member of the family was required to give blood. The sister refused. She was beaten and locked inside a hut. That night she was made to sleep outside in the cold. However, early the next morning, before the sun was up, she quietly went to the main road and there got a ride back to town. This sister is very happy to have overcome enslavement to false worship and is very zealous in Kingdom preaching. She also helps to translate Bible literature into Setswana.

A publication that has helped many new ones in Botswana to break free from demonism is the booklet Unseen Spirits​—Do They Help Us? Or Do They Harm Us? One young couple were members of a church where they had to wear religious clothes, tie strings and ropes around their bodies for “protection” and use “holy water.” But they found that these caused them to have bad dreams and to be influenced by the demons. After only two studies in the Unseen Spirits booklet, they destroyed all these spiritistic items and began attending the Christian meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have made rapid progress and are now sharing in preaching the “good news” to others.

TRAINING YOUNG ONES

Problems with raising children are widespread today. In Botswana some children of Witnesses have fallen away to immorality or to the material pleasures of this system of things. However, a real effort has been made to help both parents and young ones to improve in Christian life and activity.

Training from infancy has been stressed. For example, one Christian father now spends 15 minutes each morning speaking to his children about Jehovah and His Word. He also applies firm but loving discipline when needed. How happy this brother felt when he heard his little two-year-old son speaking to a non-Christian visitor about Jehovah and the need to pray to Him! He feels further rewarded by the fact that his eight-year-old daughter conducts a regular home Bible study with a classmate at school.

In another town a young Witness was asked to stand in front of her class as an example in neatness, personal grooming and conduct. The teacher concerned was so impressed that she sought out the girl’s parents, which resulted in the starting of another home Bible study.

GOOD PROGRESS

There has been an increase in full-time Kingdom workers among Botswana Witnesses. For example, one Witness and his wife gave up good jobs in South Africa to return to Botswana. In spite of having a family of their own, they are now serving as special pioneers (full-time Kingdom proclaimers) and are having good success encouraging young ones to join the “pioneer ranks.” Moreover, they feel that they have lost nothing by entering the full-time preaching work. As they said: “Jehovah has blessed us in so many ways, both spiritually and materially, that we often have more than we need. For a recent district assembly we not only had sufficient funds to attend ourselves but also were able to help other brothers and sisters to travel to the assembly and back.”

For taking up the pioneer activity, another young Witness was severely criticized by his family, teachers, classmates and even other young ones in the congregation. He was told to be practical and to think about his future. But he had faith that if he sincerely put Kingdom interests first, all else would be provided. (Matt. 6:30-34) The young Witness obtained part-time employment and is now actually better off materially than some of those in full-time employment who tried to discourage him from being a pioneer. Of much greater importance is the spiritual improvement he has made. He said: “My faith has been strengthened by having a fuller share in the harvest work, by studying God’s Word and the Society’s publications every day and by applying what the Bible says.”

As one looks around the country of Botswana, the results of much hard work are encouraging. Many new “green shoots” are springing up in response to the regular “rain” of spiritual truth in many towns and villages. There are nearly 300 active Witnesses in the country, and 964 Witnesses and interested persons attended the celebration of the Memorial of Christ’s death on March 31, 1980. However, there is still much to be accomplished. The ratio of Jehovah’s Witnesses to population is 1 to 2,578. New mining towns are springing up and in the vast reaches of the desert are thousands of nomadic Bushmen who as yet have heard little or nothing about God’s kingdom. The harvest is still great, but the workers are still too few.​—Matt. 9:37, 38.

[Footnotes]