Decolonisation of the Mind and the Problem of the San Ethnic Minorities in Botswana

The San—that is, the Khoisan languages speakers of Botswana—being an ethnic minority, are facing numerous problems due to the linguistic, cultural, economic, and political domination by the mainline Botswana society. As they are forced to transition from a hunter-gatherer mode of life, socio-political and economic dynamics also do not favour them. This paper seeks to critically analyse the position of the San in Botswana and demonstrate the need to decolonize the mind in order to free the San, who are reeling under linguistic and cultural dependence. Dependence is formed in part because more educated people enter into land deals to exploit natural resources with TNCs, with rural populations living in these territories. It is shown that the San communities are highly endangered both socially and linguistically. These dramatic phenomena are taking place now, in post-colonial, independent Africa. The theories that are employed in this research help to critically analyse the social conditions that the San find themselves in in Botswana. The paper further argues that the San are in almost a similar situation that other African societies were in during the rule of European imperialism. It is demonstrated in this paper that, without mind decolonisation, the imposition of the developmental power and the socio-political hegemony of the mainline society exerted on the San people can lead to sad consequences. There is therefore an imperative need for decolonising the mind for the ethnic linguistic minority to be liberated.