Donald Molosi
In June 2017, just two weeks before his passing, Botswana’s second president, Sir Ketumile Masire, sat down with writer and actor Donald Molosi for what would become his final recorded interview. Conducted at Sir Ketumile’s Gaborone home for the documentary We Are All Blue, this previously unreleased excerpt offers rare insight into his reflections on Botswana’s past, present, and future.
“We Wanted to Continue Our Survival”, An excerpt from the last interview with Sir Ketumile Masire
In June 2017, two weeks before Botswana’s second President, Sir Ketumile Masire, passed on, actor and writer Donald Molosi conducted what is now Sir Ketumile’s final interview. The conversation took place at the former President’s Gaborone residence, as part of Molosi’s documentary, *We Are All Blue*. This is the first time this excerpt appears in print. It is shared with the generous permission of the Upright African Movement.
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Donald Molosi (DM): Your Excellency, what comes to your mind when I mention Bechuanaland Protectorate?
Sir Ketumile Masire (QKJ): What comes to mind is how it came about and what happened. Great pressure was on us from the Transvaal and the Matabele who were going through here. Germans pressured us from South West Africa. The British also, in the south, were squeezing us. We wanted to find somebody to tie up loose ends and to continue our survival.
DM: How did you enter politics?
QKJ: By being a journalist, and consequently attending a meeting of the political party that came into being as the Bechuanaland Democratic Party. I found that they were addressing the problems of the country. My view was that the party should be a group of people who have common values and see the problems and work out how to address them.
DM: We have heard about the heady optimism at independence. What was it like for you, Sir?
QKJ: What a most exciting time that was! We also were all aware, as leaders, of the very difficult road ahead—especially economically.
DM: Are you happy with how the country you founded is being run today?
QKJ: What is worrying is that we have developed an economy and a political situation which is so different from where we started. People tend to think that we have always been that way. They tend to forget we still have an economy which is based on a very narrow base, which is our minerals—especially diamonds.
DM: Botswana recently marked 50 years of existence. What are your hopes for Botswana for the next 50 years?
QKJ: Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride! We would really wish that—at least we hope that—the generation that have come after us have found a base on which to build a more solid economy.
DM: How would you like to be remembered?
QKJ: I have been involved in almost all the SADC countries. I have been involved because I think those countries found that I could contribute to their welfare in one way or another. In fact, that is what we felt when Seretse Khama and his colleagues said we have helped their liberation struggle.
About the author:
Donald Molosi is an award-winning actor, playwright, and Executive Producer at CattlePost Films, based in Gaborone and London. He is the author of Dear Upright African and creator of the documentary We Are All Blue.
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