‘Parakarungu chishovoonzi’: The Politics of Toponymy in the Chobe District, Botswana

Abstract

This paper examines the etymologies and the historical and cultural significance of, and changes over
time in toponyms or place names in the Chobe District in northern Botswana. Drawing largely on oral
interviews, the paper reveals that the construction of toponyms in general, and the Chobe District in
particular, speaks to local communities’ lived experiences and subsequent understanding and appreciation
of the intricate interconnectedness between people, the ecology, natural landscapes, and the economy. It
argues that besides being practical navigational tools in the people’s geo-locational system, toponyms
are also tropes of significant historical contestations which have shaped communities’ socio-economic
livelihoods and their spiritual wellbeing. As such, most toponyms also serve as repositories of historical
events in and around the district, and cultural heritage which continue to be cherished by these riparian
communities. Other than being denotative and connotative in function, toponyms are also contested spaces,
resulting in toponymic warfare which can be confrontational or symbolic, where major ethnic groups want
to leave their ethnonyms imprinted all over the country.