Reporter Portia Ngwako of Botswana’s The Voice recently boarded the Block 8 Route 4 combi from game city when they found a traffic cop controlling the movement of traffic on the road.
The naughty passengers debated about the officer’s origin because he was dark skinned.
One of the passengers said he was Kalanga and others attacked her for being tribalistic.
Lady in blue Top: This traffic officer is delaying us. He is so dark skinned.
Lady in pink skirt: He is a Kalanga (in a derogatory tone).
Man in white shirt: what makes you think she is Kalanga?
Stop being tribalistic! You are offending us.
Lady in black scarf: People have turned us into a football pitch.
I am light in complexion but I am Kalanga.
Who do you think you are?
Lady in pink skirt: You people are known to be dark in complexion. I think yellow bones are very few that side.
Lady in blue Top: You people undermine us. What will you say if I say you are light in complexion and you are Mosarwa?
Lady in black scarf: Stop arguing with that empty vessel. She is not civilized.
Man in white shirt: We are in trouble, us and Batswapong. This stereotype thing really annoys me.
Lady in black scarf: Somebody on Facebook was saying “I am more stressed than a mophane worm seeing a Kalanga going into the bush with a sack”. It really pisses me off and people like making fun of it.
Passengers laugh
Lady in blue Top: She is giving us attitude and she does not know what the future hold for her.
May be she is going to be married by a Kalanga man.
Lady in black scarf: Do not talk of the future. She might be dating a Kalanga boy.
What makes her think she is better than others? Why is tribalism even a thing anymore?
Haven’t we moved past that?
Man in white shirt: This is totally wrong. After all, we are Batswana and we should be a united nation.
This is why people do not progress in life; it is because of this attitude.
Lady in blue Top: After all, there are no biological differences between people.
No tribe is superior or inferior to another. We are all the same.
Don’t think that one day you will wake up white and speak English through nose.
Lady in pink skirt: People it is enough. I am sorry; I did not mean to offend you.
Lady in blue Top: There are no reasons or excuses for tribalism.
This should be the first and last time you say that.
You should never repeat it. It is very dangerous. People can attack you physically and even hurt you.
This reporter drops off the combi at the next stop and the conversation comes to an end.
[Reprinted from The Voice]