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Botswana

Botswana is a majority Christian country in southern Africa with a population of over 2 million. Botswana borders Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It gained independence from the UK on September 30, 1966.

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All Content on this topic

A view of Botswana's newly elected president Duma Boko, casting his ballot on election day

New start for Botswana after historic election

There was a swift resolution and a smooth transition in Botswana after last week's elections.
PoliticsNovember 7, 202402:08 min
Duma Boko address a rally at the Mahalapye Taxi Rank in the central district of Botswana

Why is Botswana's peaceful power transfer being ignored?

The democratic milestone has garnered little world attention. Why the muted response to a peaceful transition in Africa?
PoliticsNovember 4, 202401:22 min
DW AfricaLink

Botswana's opposition victory and its impact on democracy

Josey Mahachi discusses this pivotal moment with political analyst Adam Mfundisi and DW Correspondent Phemelo Ramasu.
PoliticsNovember 4, 202428:29 min
A view of UDC supporters holding banners and celebrating in the streets at night

Botswana sees first change in government in 60 years

President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the ruling BDP has conceded defeat after being roundly beaten in parliamentary elections.
PoliticsNovember 1, 202402:06 min
Mokgweetsi Masisi gestures during the Presidential debate in Gaborone

Botswana: President Masisi concedes defeat

Results put the ruling party in fourth place after six decades in power. The opposition UDC led by Duma Boko won.
PoliticsNovember 1, 2024
An electoral worker directs a woman during an election in Gaborone, Botswana

Botswana election: BDP seeks another term amid economic woes

The Botswana Democratic Party is hoping for another term after 6 decades in power.
PoliticsOctober 30, 2024
In this film still from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Audrey Hepburn wears dark sunglasses and a diamond necklace as she looks at diamonds in a store's window display.

A brief history of diamond desirability

They're the epitome of romance, glamour and status — but also have a dark side. A look at the many meanings of diamonds.
LifestyleSeptember 13, 2024
Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi holds a large diamond discovered in Botswana at his office in Gaborone on August 22, 2024.

Botswana unearths world's second-largest diamond

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi was quick to view and pose with the vast gemstone.
BusinessAugust 22, 2024
DW Sendung Afrimaxx

Afrimaxx - Modern African Lifestyle

How zero waste helps people in Malawi, Kenyan star stylist Brian Babu and cooking with a niqab.
DesignAugust 9, 202426:03 min
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Afrimaxx - Modern African Lifestyle

How a Kenyan model turns everyone's head, how computer keyboards become art and Basotho all-terrains
LifestyleJuly 31, 202426:03 min
Botsuana 2024 | Jagd auf Elefanten in DW-Sendung 'Reporter'

Botswana's elephant conundrum

Elephant hunting is bitterly criticized — at least by Western NGOs. But in Botswana, it's seen differently.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 20, 202419:24 min
DW Sendung Afrimaxx

Afrimaxx - Modern African Lifestyle

Watch out for these top 5 designers from Africa.
LifestyleJuly 8, 202426:03 min
A young elephant walks in the grass.

Why some African countries support trophy hunting

There are conflicting theories about how to best conserve Africa's wild animals. Should trophy hunting be legal?
Nature and EnvironmentJune 24, 2024
A man shows an unidentified stone.

Sanctions on Russian diamonds: Good or bad for Africa?

Diamond-rich African countries are ramping production to fill the gap left by the G7 sanctions on Russian diamonds.
TradeJune 19, 2024
BdTD | Kenia | Überschwemmungen in Nairobi

AfricaLink on Air — 30 April 2024

Kenyan President William Ruto to hold an emergency cabinet meeting today to discuss measures to mitigate
PoliticsApril 30, 202429:59 min
Two elephants hang on to a third elephant's tail with their trunks

Why Botswana is struggling to deal with its elephants

Elephant herds and humans often clash in Botswana. Hunting the animals may help, but conservationists are opposed.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 5, 202401:29 min
Dr. Champane examining a patient's face

An effort to bridge Botswana's health care gap

Dr. Kelly Champane studied medicine in Australia ─ but always planned to give back to her native Botswana.
SocietyAugust 12, 202303:08 min
DW Sendung | 77 Percent Magazine #177 (Homecoming special)

The 77 Percent - Homecoming Special

We meet young Africans who brought their skills, dreams and ambitions back home after living abroad
SocietyAugust 2, 202326:05 min
DW Sendung Afrimaxx 23.06.2023

Crafting the taste of indigenous African fruits

How a manufactory from Botswana processes local fruit for the international market.
LifestyleJune 23, 202304:53 min
A hand holding a mobile phone

SADC countries scrap roaming charges

Travelers within SADC are relieved they no longer have the burden of roaming charges.
Digital WorldJune 16, 2023
The 77 Percent

Homecoming: Dr. Kelly Champane

Dr. Kelly Champane returned to her native Botswana with a mission: to use her skills to help build up her country.
SocietyJune 15, 202302:17 min
Nigeria Fluß Niger

AfricaLink on Air — 14 June 2023

Death toll rises to 106 after Nigeria boat disaster +++ Gambians react to President Adama Barrow's third term bid
PoliticsJune 14, 202329:59 min
Botswana | Afrimaxx | Skateboard

Managing life's ups and downs through skateboarding

In Gaborone, Botswana skateboarders help kids stay out of trouble.
SocietyJune 2, 202303:42 min
DW Sendung Eco Africa

How Botswana is growing its elephant population

Botswana manages to increase its elephant population despite its fair share of human-wildlife conflicts in the past.
Nature and EnvironmentFebruary 9, 202305:36 min
Fußball-WM Katar 2022 | Katar vs Senegal

AfricaLink on Air — 25 November 2022

Senegal becomes first African nation to win in Qatar 2022 World Cup +++Omicron scientists win 2022 German Africa Prize
SportsNovember 25, 202229:59 min
Virologists Tulio de Oliveira (left) und Sikhulile Moyo

German Africa Prize 2022 awarded to African scientists

Sikhulile Moyo and Tulio de Oliveira discovered the Omicron variant, for which they received praise, but also threats.
ScienceNovember 25, 2022
German Africa Prize in 2022 Covid-19 Omicron Variante

African COVID-19 researchers receive German Africa Prize

Sikhulile Moyo and Tulio de Oliveira have been honored for their leading roles in the discovery of the omicron variant.
ScienceNovember 24, 202202:29 min
Deutscher Afrika-Preis 2022 für Virologen Tulio de Oliveira und Sikhulile Moyo l Bildkombo

German Africa Prize awarded to Omicron variant researchers

Sikhulile Moyo and Tulio de Oliveira played leading roles in the discovery of the coronavirus Omicron variant.
SocietyOctober 26, 202204:43 min
An image of the omicron virus shown on a screen

German Africa Prize won by scientists who identified omicron

Scientists in Botswana and South Africa, who identified the COVID-19 omicron variant, win the German Africa Award 2022.
ScienceOctober 25, 2022
Paul Biya Präsident Kamerun

AfricaLink on Air — 22 September 2022

Cameroon admits its troops killed civilians+++African leaders at the UN General Assembly+++A media clampdown in Malawi?
PoliticsSeptember 22, 202229:59 min
A group of vultures pictured in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Africa: Over 150 vultures poisoned and dismembered

Conservationists in South Africa believe the birds' organs were harvested by people who sell them as bogus remedies.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 12, 2022
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World Stories - The Week in Reports

Botswana: Russia sanctions spark diamond boom, Italy: Doctor makes house calls on horseback
PoliticsAugust 9, 202212:35 min
Woman smiles broadly while polishing diamonds and speaking into a DW microphone

Could diamonds be Botswana's best friend?

Once one of the world's poorest countries, Botswana has become the second-largest producer of diamonds — after Russia.
PoliticsAugust 9, 202203:30 min
Südafrika | Suche nach Diamanten

Will Africa ever benefit from its natural resources?

Across the continent, precious stones are mined daily but this has not translated into wealth.
SocietyMay 31, 202219:59 min
Besuch des ruandischen Präsidenten Paul Kagame in Goma

AfricaLink on Air — 30 May 2022

Tension between Rwanda and DRC +++ Uganda 'overwhelmed' with new DRC refugee influx +++ HIV and COVID-19 in Botswana
May 30, 202230:00 min
Südafrika Besuch des Bundeskanzlers Olaf Scholz

AfricaLink on Air — 24 May 2022

Amnesty International warns against increasing executions+++Botswana eyes diamond market share amid Russia sanctions
PoliticsMay 24, 202230:00 min
DW interview with Botwana's president, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Botswana's president: Good governance is key

Once a democratic system of governance is deeply rooted, "the rest follows," says President Masisi.
PoliticsMay 21, 202203:54 min
African currency notes

Why Africa prints money in Europe

At least 40 African countries have their currencies printed in Europe, raising questions about their self-sufficiency.
PoliticsMarch 24, 2022
Two hands entwined, surrounded by rainbow flags

Pushing for LGBTQ rights in 2021

From Bhutan to Botswana and the United States, many parts of the world have pushed to advance LGBTQ rights this year.
SocietyDecember 27, 2021
Elephant in the Okavango-Delta in Botswana

Botswana's Okavango Delta under threat

Organizations are raising the alarm over mining for oil and gas in the world's largest cross-border nature reserve.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 9, 2021
Corona Covid Variante Omicron B.1.1.529

COVID: What we know about the omicron variant

Where has B.1.1.529 appeared? What makes it so virulent? DW looks at what we know about the new coronavirus variant.
ScienceNovember 29, 2021
DW Podcast | Science Unscripted

Omicron variant: What we (don't) know

The real-world data we have on omicron is skewed — in a lot of different ways.
ScienceNovember 29, 202114:37 min
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Botswana High Court dismissed anti-gay law in 2019

DW News Africa looks at the battle for LGBT rights in Botswana. Why does the government want to bring back laws that restrict basic rights of lesbians and gay men? We meet Letsweletse Motshidiemang, the activist who played a key role in getting Botswana's High Court to decriminalise homosexuality back in 2019.
SocietyOctober 23, 202105:10 min
DW Eco Africa | Botswana Cheetahs

Dogs saving big cats in Botswana

In Botswana, dogs are trained to keep predators away from livestock – which is also helping protect endangered big cats.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 8, 202103:58 min
A member of the Botswana cabinet holds a 1,174-carat diamond

From Haiti's upheaval to Botswana's glittering prize

An attack on press freedom in the middle of Europe, and a diamond the size of a hand — the day in pictures.
PoliticsJuly 8, 20215 images
A 1,098 carat diamond, discovered in Botswana and believed to be the third largest gem-quality stone ever to be mined, is seen in this undated handout picture received June 16, 2021.

'Third largest diamond' found in Botswana mine

The 1,098-carat diamond was found by the Debswana company and unearthed earlier this month.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 16, 2021
The Olympic torch is lit by a member of Japan's women's national soccer team in Naraha, Japan

Tokyo Olympics to test athletes daily

In a bid to prevent outbreaks, athletes will not be allowed to visit restaurants or shops, Tokyo officials have said.
HealthApril 28, 2021
Niederlande | Internationaler Strafgerichtshof in Den Haag

AfricaLink on Air - 09 March 2021

ICC rules on a record compensation for war crime victims+++A migrant started from the bottom but is now a millionaire.
SocietyMarch 9, 202130:00 min
Beekeeper in Botswana

Beekeepers in Botswana battle climate change

Botswana's government has promoted beekeeping as a strategy to combat poverty and loss of biodiversity. But climate change including many years of drought mean beekeepers are facing an uphill battle to keep their hives healthy.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 17, 202006:19 min
Three nooses and a stop sign advocating for an end to the death penalty.

Botswana urged to abolish the death penalty

Following a steep rise in executions, rights activists are calling on Botswana to ban capital punishment.
Human RightsNovember 19, 2020