Culture, Heritage and the Politics of Identity in National and Tribal Spaces: the City and the Traditional Village in Botswana
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Culture, Heritage and the Politics of Identity in National and Tribal Spaces: the city and the traditional village in Botswana By Katlego Pleasure Mwale A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences School of Architecture December 2017 Abstract Studies into architecture in Botswana posit that architecture in the capital city- Gaborone is a result of the imposition of British culture received through the historical conditions of colonisation and independence. This study seeks to go beyond this generalisation by examining architecture in Botswana, grounded in the construction of national and ethnic cultural identities, a sense of history, the idea of culture and its implication on space. It explores the relationship between identity politics and architecture. It traces various postcolonial identity- making practices in the city and traditional villages, which I argue, reveal a scenario whereby identities are re-interpreted and re-inscribed as part of the process of postcolonial manifestations of identities in space. Gaborone was planned as a capital city during the transition to self-rule and was envisioned as a mirror image of a nation, this process involved a search for postcolonial national identity and nation-building imperative. By analysing the archival documents and case study material on the city's planning legacy in relation to the socio-political context, I argue that these material facts provide a lens through which the representative spaces of the nation and state can be critically examined. I suggest that the process of envisioning the city is far more complex and nuanced than it is usually portrayed in literature, and it entails the negotiation between design professionals, the extant Tswana political elite, and colonial administrative officers. The study traces the persistence of national identity construction within the post-colonial period in the urban spaces. It illustrates that the spaces provide a platform where the national i culture and identity is being formed, promoted, legitimised and consumed through national institutions and cultural activities such as markets and performances. In contrast, the recent ethnic cultural consciousness amongst ethnic communities presents a contrasting case of the construction of culturally derived identities. The analysis of the historic core of the village traces how the ethnic group of Bakgatla is constructing their own cultural spaces by examining historical and cultural landscapes of the Phuthadikobo cultural precinct and the Moruleng cultural precinct. The study argues that the built environment in postcolonial Botswana should be examined in connection with the wider socio-political changes; in this regard, the study draws theoretical insights from cultural studies, colonial, nationalism and postcolonial studies. It makes a contribution to the recent literature on architecture in postcolonial countries, which seeks to go beyond the perspective of colonial power representation as domination, but the constant negotiation between actors and practices. Additionally, it contributes to the conceptualisation of architecture and urbanism in relation to the construction of identities and meaning. ii Contents Abstract i Contents iii List of Figures iv Abbreviations xiii Glossary xiv Acknowledgements xvi Chapter 1 Introduction and concepts 1 Chapter 2 History and context of Botswana: the making 37 of a nation during the colonial period and post-independence Chapter 3 The Imagined Capital City and the cultural legacy 73 of planning a post-colonial capital Chapter 4 The heart of the city and the pursuit for national 137 monuments Chapter 5 Heritage, culture and a sense of continuity with 195 the past in Mochudi tribal space Chapter 6 Recreating pre-colonial monuments and the 244 desire for cultural monuments Chapter 7: Identity politics and the consequence 285 Bibliography 309 Appendices 347 iii List of figures Figure 1:0: This map shows the location of the Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela villages and districts in Botswana and South Africa, as well as the location of Gaborone (source: edited from Google maps and http://d-maps.com) Figure 1.1: The image shows Moruleng Heritage Precinct with different spaces and buildings that are re-interpreted as part of the Bakgatla community’s construction of identity. (Source: taken by author in 2015). Figure 1.2: The first image shows a panorama of the kgotla in Mochudi. It shows the existing vernacular and colonial heritage. These buildings are smaller and have a sensitive relation to the existing context. The second image shows a proposed kgotla arena structure which is not sensitive to place and can be read as part of identity politics. (Source: with permission of CPM Architects) Figure 1.3: The courtyard in the centre of the museum in Gaborone consists of vernacular huts as part of the ‘tribal cultural symbols’ and vernacular architecture representation. (Source: taken by author in 2015). Figure 2.1: This map indication of Cape to Cairo railway proposals (Source: http://www.digitalhistoryproject.com/2012/06/africa-building- cape-to-cairo-railroad.html) Figure 2.2: The map of southern Africa showing the countries under the British control in grey and others as indicated. Some countries like South Africa fell into the hand of different colonial powers (Source: http://d- maps.com/c and edited by author) Figure 2.3: This map shows the approximate areas of how different tribal groups occupied land in Africa (Source: George Peter Murdock, Africa: It’s People and Their Culture History, New York and London: 1897) Figure 2.4: The map of Botswana illustrates the delineation of the territory into Crownland, Freehold and Tribal Reserves (Source: collected from Survey and Mapping office in Gaborone Botswana) Figure 2.5: Gaborone Reserve was surrounded by farm land and the Batlokwa Territory (Source: collected from Botswana National Archives, file: Town Planning Gaberones Village, 1962, file reference no: S73 .2 .2) Figure 2.6: Old prison fort is one on the remnant buildings of Gaborone Township (Source: taken by author in 2015) iv Figure 2.7: Old Resident Commissioner House now converted into artist centre. (Source:http://www.transartists.org/air/thapong-visual-art-centre) Figure 2.8: Old Gaborone store during the 1940s (Source: Botswana National Archives.) Figure 2.9: A plan of Gaborone Township in 1946 (Source: Botswana National Archives, file: Town Planning Gaberones Village, file reference no: S73 .2 .2) Figure 2.10: Mochudi kgotla in 1907 showing the cluster of huts (Source: Grant Sandy, The Transition from village to town, p. 6) Figure 2.11: A typical Tswana Village showing the different spatial relations. Basimane ward in Serowe village Botswana in 1969 (Source: Kathryn Fewster, The potential of analogy in post-processual archaeologies: a case study from Basimane ward, Serowe Botswana, pp. 72) Figure 2.12: The older traditional pattern is still evident in Mochudi today as illustrated in the image above. (Source: Ariel photograph take from Surveys and Mapping, 2015, Gaborone, Botswana, edited by author) Figure 3.1: The first plan was drawn in 1961 and focused on designing the capital along the most "classic examples" (source Botswana National Archives, collected from file Town Planning Gaberones New Township, file no: S. 74.1) Figure 3.2: The PWD Second Draft plan of 1962 proposed the capital city based on the dominance of the government complex approach along a tree-lined processional avenue. (Source: the National archives in London, file collected, Development of a Capital Township, file reference no: CO 1048.253). Figure 3.3: The AA master plan proposed a linear town arranged along west-east axis (source: collected from The transfer of Government headquarters from Mafeking, file reference no: MSS. Afr. s. 1256, from University of Oxford, Bodleian Library, Commonwealth and African Collections) Figure 3.4: The residential unit model as proposed by the AA plan. (Obtained from the BNA archives in Gaborone, file reference no: S74-1) Figure 3.5: The plan of the residential areas as prepared by the AA student project indicate the in-ward looking houses with courtyards in the centre (obtained from Interbuild Magazine, May 1962, page 22) v Figure 3.6: The AA plan proposed an egalitarian civic precinct in its linear form - the precinct and plaza is a powerful form of representative space of the nation through its inclusion of other civic activities (source: drawn by author based on a drawing collected from, AA archives: Otto Koeingsberger Collections, box no: 10) Figure 3.7: The final plan of Gaborone combined the linear Mall, Government Enclave and the Radburn residential areas (source: Botswana National archives, collected from Town Planning: Gaberones New Township, file reference no: S 74.1) Figure 3.8: The pedestrian enclave and (source: Gerald Bennet Dix, 'Gaberones', Journal of Town and Planning Institute, page 291) Figure 3.9: Buildings in the Main showing the character of the open squares (source, Best Alan C. G., Gaberones: the problems and prospects of a new capital, The Geographical Review page 7) Figure 3.10: This house was typical of houses in high-income residential zones (source: Best Alan C. G., Gaberones: the problems and prospects of a new capital, The Geographical Review page 7) Figure 3.11: Low cost Housing in the Southern part of the city (Source: Dix, G. B., Gaberones, Journal of the Town Planning Institute, page no 292) Figure 3.12: Housing in Old Naledi, which developed because of the labour camps, which developed in the northern part of the city (source: Building in hot climates: a selection of overseas building notes, 1980, page 9) Figure 3.13: Residential areas showing the road layout and pedestrian ways (source: Development of Capital 2, file reference no: CO 1048.253, collected from the National Archives in London) Figure 3.14: A satellite view of Gaborone in 1975 showing the location of Old Naledi towards the industrial area.