THE QUADRIPOINT PHENOMENON OF BOTNAMZAZI

(fiction)

An interesting phenomenon that goes with this confluence is the beautiful ancestry description of people living there. 

You'll realize that it is very possible to wake up in Botswana, have breakfast in Namibia, have lunch in Zambia part and dinner in the Zimbabwe side.

They called it living the life of a Botnamzazi! Tourists always seek to undertake the tour cos it affords one to have a taste of four cultures in one day. The people believe they're one people, as a result, an injury to one is an injury to all. They live in harmony such that there has never been any kind of war among themselves. They intermarry and there are Botnamzazi Houses across four of the enclaves, which operates like an embassy, but it is open to everyone including tourists. In those Botnamzazi Houses, you can find libraries containing the history and culture of the different people represented. You find expert historians and movie documentaries of each aspect of the cultural heritage of the people represented there for your pleasure. Regular visitors get to partake in a daily 30 minutes ritual of prayers for the continues survival of the four different groups in the different religions of the people including ATR, Christianity and Islam. It is an open event that everyone gets to participate. No publicity or fund raising as people willingly donate and work to maintain the culture.

A very interesting aspect of this phenomenon is the true Botnamzazi identity.

A Botnamzazi is what you call one born by parent(s) from this countries, though a mix blood, but regarded a True blood of the Botnamzazi. Anyone who's Father is from Botswana; mother from Namibia, maternal grandmother from Zambia, paternal grandmother from Zimbabwe. Same combination in any variations gives you a True Blood. That has evolved eventually to where a child born to at least two combinations is also regarded as a Botnamzazi, then those who became Botnamzazi by birth, i.e. one born within any of the villages by the river bank, then those who lived there between when they're at ages 6 and had lived for at least another six years, and then  those who lived from their teen age to adulthood.

There is also an honorary Botnamzazi citizenship awarded to exceptional individuals whose recognition and award of citizenship is supervised by a council of elders cutting across the four villages. The Bonza, i.e an elder has one vote, in all there are 28 Bonzas with different professional backgrounds which are considered the most objective, transparent and selfless group of individual or council in the world.

Then it became a generally acceptable norm that if you live by the bank of any of the four borders, you can be regarded as a Botnamzazi so long as you contribute to the well being and protection of the people.

You can imagine any form of technology in the world, they're among the first to acquire for their use. Although they're peaceful, a category of offense are punished by house arrest for life, in exceptional cases, when a man or woman kept under house arrest turn 40, they're allowed some freedom, but no access to the rest of the 3 enclaves.

Crime is the least of their problems as children were raised effectively with basic needs provided for everyone. A culture of "because you exist, so I exist too" existed in practice for ages. Children are taken for tour across the different sides as a rite of passage, a tradition done yearly for children who are 7years old.

A new couple is permitted to chose what side of the country to live, as a result, many have relatives across the four countries.

During marriage ceremonies, in situation where a True Botnamzazi situation is to results from the marriage, each side is represented, the couple is allowed and encouraged to go on a whole month honey moon with all needed provisions sponsored by each of the sides. Four (4) weeks, 1 week at each side, this is to help them decide what side to raise their children.

A Botnamzazi could introduce himself as Botnamzazi Botswana, meaning from the Botswana side, or Botnamzazi Namibia, meaning from the Namibia side and so on. 

No one is homeless here, no one is lost here, no one goes to bed hungry here.

The people are farmers, fishermen, poets, musicians, painters/Artist, dancers, and story tellers among others.

Sadly, their literature cannot be found on the internet as this story is totally from my imagination.

I just cooked that up. Don't believe everything you read online.

Picture by Real African Books