Carleton University’s Rodney Nelson, a lecturer with the Centre for Initiatives in Education and Canadian Studies, recently had the opportunity to speak at a research conference held by the British Council at Botho University in Botswana.
Nelson presented at the conference while also working with university and government experts.
“I shared what is happening with Aboriginal people in Canada and worked with experts there on issues facing their own indigenous people, the Khoe-San,” said Nelson. “We discussed the participation of indigenous people in their own self-governance and in their own self-determination. The Khoe-San have been, and are still being, moved out of their traditional territories and forced into smaller tracts of land, much like Canada did with the reserve system.”
Nelson explained how forced relocations and isolation leads to marginalization. It was a rewarding for Nelson to get the opportunity to work with local community members and experts in Botswana and encourage the Khoe-San to actively participate in education and economic development, while maintaining their own cultural identity.
Nelson also focused on issues of education – not only universities, but public schools as well.
“The graduation rates in Botswana are almost non-existent even compared to low Aboriginal graduation rates in Canada. It is a concern of theirs. In large part, this is due to the lack of cultural context inherent in the programs. Education is not provided in their native language and the subject matter has very little meaning when you are living off the land.”
In addition, Nelson shared some of Canada’s stories of success and failure in terms of the economic development of First Nations communities.
“Botswana is very progressive in certain areas, yet many have the idea that Canada is the land of milk and honey and they are surprised to hear about our struggles with social issues and how they are directly related to what is going on in Africa.”
The conference focused on global employability and the internationalization of the Botswana labour force. Nelson’s perspective on this theme is unique.
“I asked: Why look on a global scale? International jobs are usually given to those that have had experience working in their own countries. Yet, by looking globally they are sending their best and brightest away. As with many First Nations, Botswana is currently engaged in capacity building and needs to take advantage of growing local opportunities. This is the missing piece. They want to have students fresh out of university work globally when they are needed at home gaining experience and providing expertise.“
The British Council and the university chancellor were very interested in Nelson’s perspective. They recognized the need for opportunities within Botswana for all new graduates, as well as engaging the Khoe-San.
After the conference, Nelson worked with the university and the indigenous community to identify easy opportunities related to what was already being done.
“There are opportunities around tourism in the Kalahari where the Khoe-San have a lot of traditional knowledge about the geography, animals and how to survive. On a small scale, they are already acting as guides-for-hire, but it needs to be further promoted and supported by the government.”
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