THE DENUNCIATION OF SHAKA ZULU AND THE SCAPEGOATING OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS BY BOTSWANA GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE ELITES

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Christian J. Makgala

Abstract

In August and September 2020, the Minister of Basic Education and the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of the Botswana Stock Exchange critiqued the teaching of Shaka Zulu and
history in schools, reflecting a government narrative that linked the humanities and social
sciences graduates to youth unemployment. Their comments sparked public backlash for being
short-sighted. This paper argues that the Minister and the CEO ignored the fact that military
strategies and leadership from historical generals can inform modern business, even during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, discussions in business studies and entrepreneurship,
including those from Botswana, reference Shaka Zulu, who also appears in mathematical
sciences and operational research. Blaming the history subject and the humanities/social
sciences for the unemployment crisis oversimplifies the issue. The marginalisation of history
in Nigeria and South Africa caused various societal problems that prompting these countries to
reintroduce history as a mandatory subject in 2022 and 2023. The World Economic Forum
praises institutions like Stanford University and MIT for integrating humanities to enhance the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, a perspective that has yet to resonate with Botswana which
prioritise STEM over the humanities and social sciences. The paper argues that the crisis of
youth unemployment in Botswana is rather rooted in corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency.

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Author Biography

Christian J. Makgala, University of Botswana

Department of History