Christianity in Botswana: A Prominent and Globalizing Force

By: Eric Mooring

October 11, 2011

In Botswana, Christianity looms large. Although calculating what proportion of Batswana (the term for citizens of Botswana) are Christian is complicated by the fact that people can and do practice both Christianity and what is often called African traditional religion, the CIA World Factbook reports that more than 70 percent of people here are Christians.

While freedom of religion is enshrined in Botswana’s constitution, public discourse is generally not religiously inclusive, in the sense I became accustomed to at Georgetown. For example, an otherwise secular meeting of international students at the University of Botswana dominated by students from more than a half-dozen African nations began with a prayer in the Christian tradition. Also, a community-wide church service held at the kgotla (which can be thought of as the capitol of tribal government) in Mochudi, a village outside the capital Gaborone, was an exercise in religious pluralism in that it represented perhaps a dozen different denominations, but it was exclusively Christian and featured much quoting of the Bible. At the University of Botswana, posters advertise religious groups and various events featuring “prophets” and “prophetesses.” In some cases, Batswana quite literally wear their religion. Members of the Zion Christian Church, a prominent Protestant denomination introduced into Botswana from South Africa wear prominent silver and green pins on their jackets or dresses.

But despite the considerable presence of Christianity, it would be wrong to see Botswana as a religiously homogeneous society. Christian denominations in Botswana can be categorized into three groups: missionary churches, Pentecostal churches, and African independent churches. Most of my observations of religion in Botswana concern missionary churches, and I will focus on them in this letter. The term missionary church is a bit of a misnomer. It does not mean that these churches are currently led by missionaries; rather it means that these denominations were started in the West and brought to Botswana.

Missionaries, of course, played a role in the process of colonization. The renowned missionary and explorer David Livingstone reportedly said that he was bringing to African peoples “Christianity, commerce, and civilization.” But what is interesting is that decades after the end of colonialism, religion remains a domain of globalization and, specifically, Western influence. In fact, a prominent church here references the West in its very name: the Dutch Reformed Church of Botswana. But it is of paramount importance to note that Africans are hardly passive recipients of Western religious influence; they have taken ownership. I once attended a so-called “Dutch Reformed” service, and it was exclusively conducted by Batswana in Tswana, the dominant language in Botswana.

The sheer extent of globalization through religion can be startling. I am living with a home-stay family and once visited a relative’s house for a birthday party. As soon as I walked into the rather small house accessible only on dirt roads I heard the strains of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” It turned out that a DVD featuring American evangelical musicians was playing on the large flat-screen television, and while most of the performance consisted of Christian hymns, the recording included a section of American patriotic music being performed in Washington, D.C. Perhaps no other moment I have observed here in Botswana better illustrates the dependency theory concept of “core” and “periphery.” In this instance, the cultural influences appear to be unidirectional; with religion as the vehicle, Batswana encounter performances of American patriotic songs, but I struggle to imagine a complementary situation in which Americans would, in association with their faith, watch a performance of the national anthem of Botswana.

As the above example shows, technology and globalization go hand-in-hand. That is certainly true of satellite television. My host-family practices the Seventh-day Adventist faith and sometimes watches a Seventh-day Adventist satellite channel. Most of the programs appear to have been produced in the United States, and while many focus on universally applicable discussions of the Bible, some broadcasts include aspects of American culture. For example, one rerun sermon recorded a few years ago discussed homosexuality with references to the then-recent Massachusetts supreme court decision that legalized gay marriage. But, importantly, this export from the U.S. culture wars was hardly self-explanatory. The person with whom I was watching the presentation knew basically nothing about its American political and social context or even that it was rather dated.

As best as I can determine, Batswana simply do not think much about the fact that through religion they are being exposed to the West in general and America in particular. For example, I have met many devout Seventh-day Adventists here. The fact that they are practicing a faith founded and headquartered in the United States does not seem to be a reason either to practice or not to practice Seventh-day Adventism. In context, this should come as no surprise. I have encountered no anti-Americanism among Batswana and, in fact, a great deal of pro-Americanism (though speculative, the fact that the United States contributed $84.4 million to this country in fiscal year 2011 through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief may be a factor). While some people here bemoan the loss of culture, I have not observed explicit opposition to globalization. No aspect of life seems able to wholly escape globalization, and religion is no exception.

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