White people in Botswana

White people in Botswana are Botswanan people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, most notably the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

White people in Botswana
Total population
64,000~
Regions with significant populations
Gaborone, Francistown, Ghanzi, Serowe, Lobatse
Languages
Afrikaans, English, Greek, Serbian
Religion
Predominantly Christianity, Judaism
Related ethnic groups
White people in Zambia, White people in Zimbabwe, White South Africans, White Namibians

Currently, White Africans are a minority ethnic group in Botswana, accounting for around 3% of the country's population.[1] The White population usually speak Afrikaans, with a small Serbian community in the country’s capital. The Afrikaner population is centred around farming communities in the Ghanzi Region (descendants of the Dorsland Trekkers). After the Zimbabwean Land Reforms, a small amount of Anglo-Zimbabwean Farmers moved to Botswana (as well as South Africa and Zambia) to start new lives.

History

European people began to immigrate into what is today the nation of Botswana in the 19th century, starting with the Boer people. The Dorsland Trek in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw thousands of Boer families migrate from South Africa to present-day Namibia by way of Botswana. Many families stayed, especially in Ghanzi, which is in the Kalahari Desert. White Botswana people are primarily of Boer/Afrikaner descent, but smaller numbers are also of British/Rhodesian ancestry as well.[2]

Additionally, there is a fairly significant Serbian community in the country, mainly families of immigrants from Yugoslavia who came beginning in the 1950s. There is a Serbian Society in Gaborone, which regularly hosts a variety of cultural events. In 2016 construction began on the first Serbian Orthodox church in Botswana, the St. Nicholas Church.[3] The St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church also operates in Gaborone.[4]

Notable people

See also

References and footnotes
  1. "CIA - The World Factbook -- Botswana". CIA. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  2. The Evolution of Modern Botswana - Page 250 by Louis A. Picard · 1985
  3. “Corner-Stone for a new Orthodox Church in Botswana.” Regular Session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Begins | Serbian Orthodox Church [Official Web Site], Serbian Orthodox Church, 25 Nov. 2016, www.spc.rs/eng/cornerstone_first_orthodox_church_botswana.In-text Citation
  4. “History of Serbs in Botswana.” Saint Sava Botswana, Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Gaborone, Botswana, www.saintsavabotswana.org/history-of-serbs-in-botswana.
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