Why was Hawai’i’s governor compelled to attend an independence ceremony for an African country in 1966?
The answer starts with a January 30, 1962 observation by Cornelius Downes, a journalist with the Star-Bulletin. “If a child digging in the sand at Waikīikīi excavated long enough and straight enough,” Downes discovered, “he would come out on the other side of the world in the heart of South Africa, on the edge of a bleak, backward, dusty region called the Kaukau Veld.”
Downes realized that Hawai‘i, unlike the continental United States, had an antipode on land. That place was then known as Bechuanaland. Today, it is the Republic of Botswana.
The cascading effects of Downes’ observation spiraled Hawai‘i down a strange affair of international diplomacy, one that culminated with Governor John A. Burns representing the United States of America at Botswana’s independence ceremonies.
The Sixties in Hawai‘i–and Africa
Downes’ 1962 article captured the attention of the Bulletin’s readers and editorial leadership. In May 1966, the paper began to quietly advocate for the creation of a ‘Hana Botswana’ program to encourage greater ties between the soon-to-be African nation and the people of Hawai‘i. It was announced on May 13, 1966.
The ’60s were a time of rapid decolonization, with 20 countries gaining independence across the African continent alone. For the U.S. State Department, it was a welcome opportunity to foster new relationships with these proliferating countries.
The Bulletin’s plan had been heartily endorsed by diplomats in Washington, D.C. “When I showed the plan to our officers in Southern African Affairs, they lit up like Christmas trees over the prospect of a ‘sister relationship’ between Hawai‘i and Bechuanaland,” recalled Edward W. Mulachy, the deputy director of the Office of Eastern and Southern African Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
Botswana also agreed to participate. Charles Fletcher, the U.S. Consul at the American Consulate in Gaberones, forwarded a radiogram on behalf of Botswana’s Prime Minister to Norman B. Hannah, the political advisor to the Pacific Commander in Chief, Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp. Hannah was to extend the message to Hawai‘i Governor Burns.
Talks of further engagement ratcheted up as Gaositwe Chiepe, the country’s Deputy Director of the Department of Education, visited Hawai‘i in 1966 to meet Governor Burns and other top statewide educators. Soon thereafter, Chiepe was dispatched to Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye and U.S. Representatives Patsy Mink and Sparky Matusnaga.
In June, KAIM Radio of Honolulu formed a ‘tape-recording alliance’ with Radio Bechuanaland in Botswana. The Bulletin even dispatched Jim Becker to Botswana to report on the country. The idea was that both societies would report on one another and educate each other’s populations as a form of cultural exchange.
In September, Governor Burns was tapped by President Lyndon B. Johnson to represent the United States of America at the country’s independence ceremonies on September 30, 1966. To coincide with the event, Botswana’s flag even briefly flew over ‘Iolani Palace, which then served as the State Capitol.
Burns was accompanied by Alfred Laureta, Director of the Hawai‘i Department of Labor. Burns would also attend a similar ceremony in the Kingdom of Lesotho, receiving an audience with the King in the process.
While traveling, Governor Burns had to travel through apartheid South Africa, which still openly discriminated against Black Africans and other non-white persons. Laureta, a Filipino-American, was denied a visa. Burns readily received one.
The Flickering Ties
Trips between Hawai‘i and Botswana continued throughout the ’60s and early ’70s.
Gaorewe Kewrepe, a member of Botswana’s national assembly, visited the country in July 1967. The State of Hawai‘i marked the first anniversary of Botswana’s independence with a ceremony at Farrington High School on September 29, 1967.
Moutlakgola Nwako, the Botswana Foreign Minister, paid a visit to Honolulu and Hilo In October 1968. Nwako, as a former Minister for Agriculture, was anxious to learn about the state’s agricultural and hydrological efforts. Governor John Burns hosted him in Honolulu, while County Chair Shunichi Kimura hosted him at the Naniloa hotel in Hilo. Nwako was anxious to see Volcanoes National Park.
Mokwadi Kpogo, the Secretary of Health, Labor Home Affairs, visited Hawai‘i in July 1971. President Khama of Botswana and Governor John A. Burns spoke to one another in September 1972. The phone call, as far as newspaper records suggest, was one of the last documented occasions where officials engaged with one another.
As part of a ‘Hana Botswana’ program, student exchanges had even started between Botwana and the University of Hawai‘i. One 1998 retrospective by Susan Kreifels of the Star-Bulletin found that one of the two graduates, Emang Maphanyane, rose to become Executive Director of the Botswana Housing Corporation. The other, Israel Mosele, was tragically crippled by a car accident in Los Angles and died in the early ’90s.
The Affairs Ends
Hawai‘i’s affairs with Botswana faded away within less than a decade of Burns’ visit to Botswana. People came and then left. And then they stopped coming. The novelty wore away.
Like many affairs, this one wore away because it was no longer convenient. Today, there is no documented connection between the State of Hawai‘i and the Republic of Botswana.
Botswana is home to about 2.3 million people and ranks among the wealthiest countries in Africa. Nevertheless, the country also currently experiences a major public health emergency, which is reported as being gravely exacerbated by cuts in aid from the United States.
Hawai‘i’s fascination with Botswana was an expression of our blind willingness to engage with the rest of the world. While the State of Hawai‘i still maintains dozens of sister-state relationships, they primarily focus on societies across Asia and the Pacific region.
If we ever want to look further, Botswana is always there.
Perry Arrasmith can be reached at hello@perryarrasmith.com.
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