Sir Seretse Khama Quotable quotes
02 Jul 2019
“We Batswana are not desperate beggars...” first public speech as president, 6 October 1966.
Those of you who are farmers however, and those who might have some occupation which demands skills, are urged to interest their children in such occupations, train them to appreciate the dignity of labour, and divorce them from the wrong conception that white-collared, salary-earning occupations are a symbol of status, lest we develop into a nation of clerks and book-keepers. Addressing the Botswana Democratic Party 8th Conference Kanye, 5th April 1969
“Nationalism must not be allowed to degenerate into chauvinism. There are no grounds for the belief that contact with ideas and individuals from other countries and cultures will lead our children ‘to become black white men who despise everything that is Tswana’. In response to protests against opening of Maru-A-Pula school in 1970
We do not wish to place any artificial obstacles in the way of the initiative and energy of our people. But equally we must avoid divisions based on occupation or inequality of wealth. Addressing the Botswana Democratic Party Conference Molepolole 28th March 1970
“Unity in Botswana, will not be achieved by legislation, but by consultation and consensus. Our national unity will be stronger if it remains based, as it is now, on diversity, mutual tolerance and consent,” 1971 BDP conference in Maun
“Democracy, like a little plant, does not grow or develop on its own. It must be nursed and nurtured if it is to grow and flourish. It must be believed in and practiced if it is to be appreciated. And it must be fought for and defended if it is to survive. Opening of the fifth session of Botswana’s third National Assembly in November 1978.
It is not enough to vote every four years and leave everything to politicians and civil servants in between . . . It is essential that the people, including the workers, should at all times be able and ready, not only to put their views to government but to make an active and constructive contribution to building our nation. On laying the cornerstone of the Botswana Trade Union Education Centre, 10th July 1971.
Human dignity, like justice and freedom, is the common heritage of all men. It is indivisible. If these universal truths had been accepted by those who have set themselves the cause of denigration the world would have been saved from the racial animosities and degradations which now threaten the very survival of mankind. Addressing the nation on the 10th Anniversary of Independence 30th September 1976
......And yet history has shown that women are as capable of dynamic leadership as men are. Addressing the Botswana Democratic Party Annual Conference, Mahalapye, 28th March 1975
While one appreciates the important role which beef production has played in the overall economy of our country, it would be tragic, nevertheless, if we were to continue to overlook the fact that the preservation of our pride as a nation will, in the final analysis, depend on our ability to feed ourselves. Opening Parliament, 21st November 1977
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. Addressing University of Botswana. Ends
Source : BOPA
Author : BOPA
Location : GABORONE
Event : Quotes
Date : 02 Jul 2019
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