Abstract
Botswana has experienced rapid urbanisation and industrialisation since independence, with people moving from the rural to the urban areas consequently. The quality of family and peer relationships and the spirit of communityhood have also deteriorated significantly over the years. However, few studies have investigated how people forge or reproduce significant values from the rural areas/traditional practices in the urban space. This study investigated the Botho/Ubuntu-driven practices of building community in the urban space in the form of Naomi and Laban, bridal and baby showers in Gaborone. Showers are gendered celebrations organised by women for a mother or father who will either receive a daughter or a son-in-law or for a woman who is engaged to be married or one who is about to become a mother, respectively. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry. The study first carried out secondary desktop analysis and, second, conducted fieldwork-based research. Themes such as social networks, social norms of mutuality, reciprocity, social support, collective efficacy, informal social control, mutual trust, empathy and reciprocity appeared in the study. Results show that participation in the showers could bring satisfaction, improved social relations, an increased sense of control and empowerment.
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The study was funded by the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity (John Templeton Institute).
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Modie-Moroka, T., Dube, M.W., Setume, S.D. et al. Pathways to Social Capital and the Botho/Ubuntu Ethic in the Urban Space in Gaborone, Botswana. Glob Soc Welf 7, 231–243 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-019-00152-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-019-00152-5