What went right?
What went right?
Jose Nelson
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Leo Morales
Everything except left.
Isaiah Roberts
Mason Martinez
Unironically, this. DeBeers and Rio Tinto, among other mining companies, are so well-invested into Botswana that it's not even funny. DeBeers execs sit on a board of directors in conjunction with government ministers running 'Debswana', a state-owned national diamond miner. We'll say nothing of how much those workers are paid or what percentage of wealth flows back into Botswana as such. Other items on the menu are your standard fare like copper and gold, but also uranium (and we'll guess who that's popular with).
I would say it's one of the few countries in Africa that is currently capable of accessing its mineral wealth; and that is in large part due to favourable governance and proximity to South Africa and South African investment. In fact, given the relative long-term stability of it compared to its neighbour (Zimbabwe) and it not suffering a shitload of floods, famine and civil war like Angola, it was always probably going to emerge as a regional player anyway. Certainly whatever money they are getting from exploiting their regional wealth is gradually trickling down - it has a phenomenal literacy rate among African countries; around 88%, too.
I did some googling. It has a low population, with fewer ethnic divides and a concentrated urban populace (the majority of Botswana being desert). I guess these are factors that could help. One might even be so callous as to say that there aren't many old people to care for with the AIDS endemic having hit the country so hard. But even that's coming under control with more people having access to education.
>t. spent a month in rural Botswana in a game park run by a former Executive Outcomes guy who used to get contracts from Debswana to bust illegal diamond syndicates in Botswana
Daniel Powell
It's the most free market nation in Africa
Juan Collins
shit man, stories?
Josiah Harris
I was charged by an elephant when I was being shown the ropes by the guy's 2IC. My guide, a six foot three African man whose anglicized name was Susan (it was his choice), was deeply amused at my fear and said Elephants basically never charge for real anyway, except for the one in twenty times that they're not faking it. This was not particularly comforting desu
Also had an elephant eat off the tree above my head one night while I slept. Slept through the whole thing. Also never left my tent between the hours of ten and six after I discovered one early morning that a pride of lion(s) had walked through the encampment; which in itself was on an elevated island next to a large section of floodplain.
Also met several locals from a village further away from the encampment (as opposed to the ones nearby who were familiar with tourists), some of whom hadn't met anyone with blonde hair before. Got blind drunk and participated in a tribal dance with the men. It was pretty eye-opening.
>and now to make this post Veeky Forums
I asked my boss one night about the nature of his work with EO, and he said that it wasn't worth bothering with and that I should stay in university, "if that was what I meant by it". Claimed that being a soldier wasn't worth the money, even with what Debswana would pay to secure their interests from what were largely Angolan/Zimbabwean funded attempts to siphon diamonds over the border.
Ian Martinez
AIDS
Caleb Barnes
Did you get to see their cowboy metal scene?
Jeremiah Thompson
Nothing