1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Anyway, Galaxy quest is so good. Galaxy Questions love. But 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: we actually got to go um last year. We did 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: a road trip to Utah and we had to go 4 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: to Goblin Valley, which is where they shot some of 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: of Galaxy Questions, all these like, yeah, the Rock Monster, 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: and it's got all these cool, like very rounded, kind 7 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: of weird sculpture looking rocks, even though they're not sculpted 8 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: sculpted by nature. It looks like somebody stacked these like 9 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: boulders all on top of each other up into these yeah, 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: you know, twelve fifteen sixteen foot structures and they were 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: so fun to climb. It was a great place. If 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: you get a chance to go to Goblin Valley, it's 13 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: totally worth. And it was interesting too because it was 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 1: like just a dirt color and then just a blue 15 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: sky and that was like the only colors. Yeah, just 16 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: red and blue, and then they were all like blackbirds 17 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: like ravens or something, very stark colors and just beautiful 18 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: and fun and weird. It was just dope. Yeah, yeah, 19 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: it was really awesome. And yet the whole time we 20 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: were just saying Galaxy quest score, and it was you know, 21 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: you're done in a few hours. It's a relatively small 22 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: park in the middle of the desert. There's campsites there, 23 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: there's near there's towns not too far away, and there's 24 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: other cool parks to do. That's also when we went to. 25 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: One of our favorite places in the world was dead 26 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: Horse Point State Park uh in Utah, which is it's 27 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: an international dark sky park designated by whoever designates those things. 28 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: Um so it's at night. You're out there and you 29 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: can see space like it looks like I'm in space 30 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: on the ground, but I look up and you can 31 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: just see all of space. It's incredible. It is nothing 32 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: like anything I've ever seen. Because we, of course in 33 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: Georgia just very deciduous forest. You don't get a lot 34 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: of just sky, nothing in and we get a lot 35 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: of light pollution too because we're in the city. But 36 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: even then it's just a lot of trees blocked away 37 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: and they're beautiful in their own right, obviously. But it 38 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: was cool to go to Dead Horse and sit on 39 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: a rock, a real flat rock, and just look up 40 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: and there's nothing in your way. It's just space, like 41 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: you said, the stars and you can see the Milky 42 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: Way and it's I'm amazing. We watched the sun go 43 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: down and it was one of the few times in 44 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: my life where I felt like you could see the 45 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: world revolving. Like it didn't look like the sun was 46 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: going down. It really looked like we were moving away. Yeah, 47 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: Utah is beautiful so much if you just want to 48 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: get away from it all the middle of nowhere, southern 49 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: half of Utah. We didn't get to go to Salt Lake. 50 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: I would love to sometime. Yeah, Unfortunately, we literally, I mean, 51 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: this was a pandemic road trip, so we were deliberately 52 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: avoiding people and we pretty much just were. It was 53 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: the two of us and Hobbes our dog in the 54 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: car with a tent and a and a bunch of 55 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff. We crammed a lot of stuff, 56 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 1: to much stuff, honestly, but too much. But we were 57 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: comfortable for the most part. Cold nights. But the state 58 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: parks are worth the sea as well, not just the 59 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: national parks. So if you're like crowded as fuck it 60 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: Arches or something, check out the state parks because they're 61 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: less populated and they're just as gorgeous. We stayed in 62 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: cot To Chrome Basin State Park, which is in the 63 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: Great staircases Glante National Monument. Uh, and it was I 64 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: mean it was full, but it was small. Into the 65 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: campground was full but small, and the and the basin 66 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: itself was just stunning. We learned this in our research 67 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: before going out there, and it's true. Don't be fooled 68 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: into thinking that the national parks, which are relatively crowded 69 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: compared to the state parks, I don't think that they 70 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: are national parks because they have something more than the 71 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: state parks too, because you're going to get the same 72 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: incredible structures and views and colors. Uh, definitely. We We 73 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: did it primarily because you couldn't bring a dog into 74 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: most national parks, but the state parks generally all allowed 75 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: us to bring the dog, which he was happy for. 76 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: So so that's our our pro Utah Advertisement Tourism Board 77 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: of the State of Utah. Right, We're gonna go far 78 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: away from Utah in this episode today, Hello everybody, Hey, everyone, 79 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. I'm Eli, I'm Diana. We're 80 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 1: joined today by our super producer Hobbs, our dog, who 81 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: has joined us in the bathroom. Say hello, Hobbs. Yep, 82 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: he's panting very particulate, lightly and staring up at us, like, 83 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: what the hell is going on? Why am I in 84 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: the bathroom with you guys? Because you freak out when 85 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: you're sitting outside the bathroom waiting for us to be done. 86 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: He's a very special boy, and he has a lot 87 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: of needs. He's a very good boy. That's actually a 88 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: very good podcast dog. For the most part, he just 89 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: hangs out in the other room. But every now and 90 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: then he gets a little nervous and I'll start nos 91 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: it on the doorknob and make it a lot well 92 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: and more so, it's just when we come out at 93 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: the end, he's just like, oh my god, where are 94 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: you man? I'm so I'm both scared us. This has 95 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: been terrible. I thought you were never going to come 96 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: out of game, and I thought you were lost forever. 97 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: Nothing I could do. It's just like Hobbes, it's it's fine, 98 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: We're here now. It's true. He's a little bit anxious. Yeah, 99 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: he has a lot of anxieties. He's afraid of kitchens. 100 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 1: He's afraid of things stacked on top of other things. 101 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: Been like hallways. Very much hates hallways. He usually walks 102 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: backwards through doorways. He will turn around and back through 103 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: most doorways. This is weird. It's very strange. Why would 104 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: you you can't see something up behind you? Anyway, he's 105 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: a good boy. He is a good boy, and he's 106 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: here with us today to help tell this story. This 107 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: is a great story, um, about two very likable people. 108 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 1: We always like those. Yeah. Yeah, their marriage literally changed 109 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: the map of Africa, so that's a lot. I've never 110 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: changed a map, have you know? And I don't think 111 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: I haven't even taken a map down and put up 112 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: a new map, like I have not changed a map. 113 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: This story takes place mostly in Botswana, and so you know, 114 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: name pronunciation is very important to us. We always try 115 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: to look them up and make sure we're saying people's 116 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: names right. Um. So it's about Sirett Comma and I 117 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:17,840 Speaker 1: want to say rough Routh. I think it's h row Ruth, Ruth, Ruth, 118 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: Ruth Williams Williams. I know, that's a weird one for 119 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: your mouth to get around. Our tongues are not used 120 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: to Ruth Ruth Williams. Yes, Sirretsa was the guy who 121 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: fought for Botswana's independence and became their first elected president. 122 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: That's right, And he may never have fought for their independence. 123 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: If it wasn't for how the world reacted to him 124 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: marrying a white woman named Ruth Williams. They literally changed 125 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: the map of Africa because people had feelings feelings about it, feelings, 126 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: especially stupid feelings like this. But yeah, we're going to 127 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: get into that now. We're going to talk about Botswana 128 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: and where it came from, and we're going to talk 129 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: about apartheid. Winston Churchill makes a little cameo. Wins Winston, 130 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,360 Speaker 1: All right, let's get going. Yea, hey their French come listen. Well, 131 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: Elia and Diana got some stories to tell. There's no matchmaking, 132 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: a romantic tips. It's just about pridiculous relationships, a love. 133 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: It might be any type of person at all. And 134 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: abstract concert a concrete wall. But if there's a story 135 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: where the second clans ridiculous roles a production of I 136 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. So yeah, speaking of maps, just so we 137 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: know where we're at in the world, I wanted to 138 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: explain that Botswana is a country in the southern part 139 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: of Africa. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, 140 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: Namibia to the west, Zimbabwe to the east, and Zambia 141 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: to the north. But before the nineteen sixties, Botswana was 142 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: a protectorate of Britain called Best You Wanna Land. Best 143 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: You want to know more about Best you want to Land? 144 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the whole time I was like, bet you 145 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: want to land. That's what they were telling the British, Right, yeah, 146 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: you want And they were like, oh yes we do, 147 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: thank you very much, we'll take it. We like land everywhere. Basically, 148 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: the Bamangwato tribe and other tribes of best Chuana land 149 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: in the late eighteen hundreds, we're having trouble with some 150 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: aggressive Dutch and German colonists who were coming in and 151 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: trying to annex a bunch of African lands for themselves, right, 152 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: and bestI Wanna Land was a very small I mean 153 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: all these tribes. It wasn't even Best You Wanna Land 154 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: at that point. But all these tribes were small, um 155 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: and they didn't have any kind of defense or army 156 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: or anything like that. So they went to Britain and said, hey, 157 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: can you protect us from these other colonists. They're taking 158 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: all our land and treating us like ship. And Britain 159 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: was like, oh, yes, we're very altruistic, No, just kidding. 160 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: They they really wanted to protect their own strategic and 161 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: economic interests within Africa. They didn't think that this particular 162 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: area was that special, but they were like, if we 163 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: let them get too far into Africa, they'll just take 164 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: over everything. So maintain. It wasn't about protecting this area 165 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: as much as it was about keeping the Dutch and 166 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: the Germans from getting more right exactly, yeah, yeah, So 167 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:11,079 Speaker 1: they sent over some troops to patrol the borders and 168 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: best Chewana Land became a protectorate in eight five. A 169 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 1: protector it's different from a territory or a colony. If 170 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: you're like me, I was like, okay, so they came 171 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: in and hit everyone on the head and I I was like, 172 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: do what I say now, But that's not actually how 173 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: it went down. Um. Protectorates they have obligations to the 174 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: protector nation. They usually have like a treaty in place 175 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: where they're like, we'll give you some stuff, you give 176 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: us some stuff. Um. But local control is still maintained 177 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: by the tribes. So they have a commissioner from Britain 178 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: who's like hanging out there. He's protecting British interests. He's 179 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,559 Speaker 1: speaking you know, that's who's the king or queen is 180 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: talking to UM and he works with the chief to 181 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: kind of keep the peace. UM, but the chief is 182 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: still mainly the guy in charge local authority is is 183 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: number one, and they're getting, you know, a resource kickback 184 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 1: of some degree for protecting them. So it's literally a 185 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,680 Speaker 1: situation where they're like, hey, you wanna you guys, Yeah, 186 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: you guys can upright, however you want. It's your territory, 187 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: of course, of course, of course, but if you want protection, 188 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: you gotta you gotta pay a tribute, You pay a 189 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 1: little tribute, and you get all the protection you want. 190 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: You don't then you know, I don't know what's gonna happen, 191 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:33,959 Speaker 1: you know. So it's it's basically it's still control. Yeah, definitely, 192 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: it's still uh you know, it's not a colony in 193 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: that they are permitted permitted, right, I mean just sort 194 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: of set their own rules, but also like, but you know, 195 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: until we don't like until we don't like it anymore. Yeah. Yeah, 196 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: And this is a good story to kind of see 197 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: how that worked, because it was very much kind of 198 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,719 Speaker 1: a jockeying for a position sort of thing where they 199 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: were like, oh, I thought we could do what we 200 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: wanted and Britain was sort of like Um, not really, 201 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: but we'll get to that. So the Bamungwato still had 202 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: their chief, who was named King Comma, in charge of 203 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: the day to day He's still a very powerful figure 204 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: um and so it's it's working out. It seems like 205 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: it's working out pretty well for the bam Wacho in 206 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 1: Eightiesma was born in and he became Ghostie or king 207 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,199 Speaker 1: of the protectorate at age four, which of course is 208 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: too young to rule. So his uncle Sacchetti was the 209 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 1: regent and guardian. While he grew up in the capital. 210 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: He lived in the chief's big house and he was 211 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: given a great education. But otherwise he really doesn't act 212 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: much different from the poorest person in bamung Watto. He 213 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: drove cattle from watering hole to watering hole. He would 214 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: play naked in the street with other kids, which was 215 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:55,080 Speaker 1: frowned upon here when I was but actually, honestly, in 216 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,560 Speaker 1: the town I grew up in, probably not that frowned upon. 217 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: That's true. It's different in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where I grew up. 218 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: Who could not. Also, the street we lived on was 219 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: an incredibly busy street, so if he played naked and 220 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 1: it you were dead. So but that was that was 221 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: normal for them. It's totally fun. I just thought it 222 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: was it was interesting to note that this is a 223 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: ruler who's not separate from his people the way we've 224 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:22,319 Speaker 1: talked about so many kings and and their harems and 225 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 1: stuff where they're like locked away and no one can 226 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:26,560 Speaker 1: see them and stuff like that, And that's not how 227 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: it was at the Bamungwato. You you might be chief 228 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: and you had a lot of power and influence, but 229 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: you were doing the same day to day ship that 230 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:37,599 Speaker 1: everybody else was doing. Right, And so he went to 231 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: school in South Africa for high school and college until 232 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: it was time he went to study law, and that's 233 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: when he got sent to Oxford in London. That was 234 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 1: n This is the first time he's ever kind of 235 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: mixed freely with white people. You know that there weren't 236 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: living in a separate area because in Betchuana Land the 237 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: white people who lived there, and there was a decent 238 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: number of white people living there, but they were living 239 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: in you know, British sort of controlled pockets I think, 240 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: and under British rule they weren't part of they weren't 241 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: integrated into their society of the tribes. So this is 242 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: the first time he's in that situation, and they treat 243 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: him pretty well. I mean, he gets a little ribbed 244 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: now and then about you know, being an African king, 245 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,079 Speaker 1: right that that was kind of a teasing thing, like 246 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: oh your majesty, I'm sure, yeah, oh yeah, classic. But 247 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: from what we can tell, relatively kind of lovable ribbing, 248 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: mostly cool, mostly mostly it's pretty decent behavior. He would 249 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 1: go to pubs and he learned how to throw darts, 250 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: and when they had dances, the English girls were happy 251 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,839 Speaker 1: to partner with him. It's a It's one of these 252 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: things that you kind of see the stark difference between 253 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,959 Speaker 1: England and America at this time in terms of not 254 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 1: to say that it was easy for a black person 255 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: in England, but it seems like it was a lot 256 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: easier than it was being allowed in America in the 257 00:13:55,840 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: mid century. Yeah. Well, and and for him in Africa 258 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: it was completely everything was separated by race. So he 259 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: was probably like, Wow, a white girl is willing to 260 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: like touch my hand and let me dance with her. 261 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: It was probably really like a shell shock. Um, but yeah, 262 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: I think in America we were not that enlightened because 263 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: a long time England got got rid of slavery a 264 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: long time before we did. Um. Yeah, you can go 265 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: back and listen to our episode about William and Ellen 266 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: Kraft who escaped slavery and went to England and lived 267 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: it up, had a grand old time up there before 268 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: coming back here and trying to teach Americans what it's 269 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: all about. Yeah. So one day, while he's in school 270 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: in the Oxford planned darts hanging out, he meets this 271 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: girl named Muriel and she's going to go to Bechuana 272 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: Land on a missionary trip. So he's just kind of 273 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: telling her about the country. She's asking him questions and stuff, 274 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: and uh, he's cool. So she's like, Hey, do you 275 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: want to come to this dance that the missionary is 276 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: organizing tonight meet some p bowl. He's like, sure, let 277 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: me go to this party. And when he gets there, 278 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: Muriel introduces him to her sister, Ruth Williams, who was 279 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: a pretty green eyed blonde. And Ruth was born very 280 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: This is Ruth had a totally different life, of course 281 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: than sat Comma. She was not inheriting any thrones, that's 282 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: for sure. She was born in South London to a 283 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 1: Cockney t salesman. She drove ambulances in World War Two, 284 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: and after the war she worked as like a clerk 285 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: for an underwriting firm called Lloyd's of London. Damn, I 286 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: mean driving ambulances during World War two is is pretty 287 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: dope because it's not like I mean, especially in London 288 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: where people were getting hurt. You're in the action. Yeah, 289 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: I think that comes through. That strength of character comes 290 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: through this whole story. Yeah, it's a different A lesser 291 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: woman could not have handled this, this whole series of events. 292 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: In an article from nineteen fifty two by mckensey porter, 293 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: Ruth is described as a strong character, but also an 294 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: English working girl who had been reared to expect nothing 295 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: more exotic than a semi detached house and a husband 296 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: who every morning would don his bowler hat, grab his 297 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: umbrella and catch a red double decker bus to the city. 298 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: And Sotsi was the first black man she had ever 299 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: spoken to in her life. She had seen some around, 300 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: but she never actually but they really hit it off. 301 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: Apparently they both really loved jazz music, particularly a band 302 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: called the Ink Spots, which I found out were actually 303 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: the first African Americans to appear on television period. Um, 304 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: so that's pretty cool. And they fell head over heels 305 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: for each other in a pretty short period of time. Um, 306 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: they would go out a lot and uh. They dated 307 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: for about a year and then they decided to get married. 308 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: And getting married wasn't a decision that was reached lightly. 309 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: They understood that this was going to be a little complicated. 310 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: Cerettesa knew that his wife would become queen of the 311 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: tribe and that meant for them that she was the 312 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: mother of all Bamangwato people. He didn't think they'd have 313 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 1: any issues with the tribe, he told Mackenzie Porter. It 314 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: is laid down in tribal traditions that the heir to 315 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: the chieftainship should be son of a chief and his 316 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 1: lawful wife. It does not matter who the wife is 317 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: or from where she comes. The important parent is the father. 318 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: There is no reason at all why my own future 319 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: air should not be born of a white woman. But 320 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: he thought the problems they were gonna face we're going 321 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: to come from the white people in Betchuana Land who 322 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't like it, Those British people living in those pockets, 323 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: those colonies. He warned Ruth that they would probably ostracize her, 324 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: but you know she might be able to win him 325 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: over some day. Yeah. He was like, there's white only 326 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,400 Speaker 1: spaces here and you can't go in there. Like, once 327 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,479 Speaker 1: you've married me, they basically don't think of you as 328 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: white anymore. You can't come in here. White people are 329 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: very touchy and very sensitive about their whiteness, and uh, 330 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: they have a real hard time getting over it. And 331 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 1: so they would see, you know, a white woman who 332 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: married a black man, even though he's king. I mean, 333 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter who he is. They're just going to 334 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: be sucking assholes about it. Yeah, basically because white people 335 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: are always assholes when it comes to race. We can 336 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: do better, guys, we can't. It's not hard. It's even 337 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:37,920 Speaker 1: not hard care actually not hard. There's all this celebration 338 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: and whatever, just fucking white people. But it doesn't matter. 339 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: Ruth was like, I don't care, come on, let's do it. 340 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 1: I can handle some fucking white people. Yeah. So he's 341 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,400 Speaker 1: still finishing his studies. They're not moving to Africa right away. 342 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,160 Speaker 1: They're going to get married in London. So they start 343 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: looking for an apartment in London and they had a 344 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: lot of doors slammed in their face because Sir Etzi 345 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 1: was black. Finally they found a furnished room in North London, 346 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,960 Speaker 1: but then they had to find someone who was willing 347 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,960 Speaker 1: to marry them, and all the churches they went to 348 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: refuse to perform the ceremony, even though inter racial marriage 349 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: was not illegal in Britain, but they just had like 350 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: a personal problem with it. I guess they're like, I 351 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: ain't sign in this license or whatever. Going back to that, 352 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: that same difference between England and America at the time, 353 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: whereas like you know, in America, until the Loving Decision, 354 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 1: which was some time after this, in a racial marriage 355 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: was illegal and in Britain it was not. So you're like, wow, 356 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: England got ahead. But of course we know that just 357 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: these laws being passed do not suddenly open everyone's hearts 358 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 1: and make them good people. People are still going to 359 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: be fucking assholes. So it's still a challenge to live 360 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: there as as a person of color. Yeah, and and 361 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 1: I'm sure would have been happy to marry Sirritzy to 362 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: any number of black women, but it was just the 363 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: two of them together. They just couldn't handle it, right, 364 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: I'm like, whoa too much? So anyway. Um, so they 365 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: were not able to find a church to marry them. 366 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: They arranged a marriage at the registry office in Kensington, 367 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: so they basically went to the courthouse they got their license. 368 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: Is not a lot of pomp. But this wasn't the 369 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: only trouble they were facing down. More trouble was brewing 370 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: back home. Seretse's uncle Sacchetti was very against this wedding. 371 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: He was kind of being a traditionalist about it. He 372 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: was like, no way, kind of white woman be the 373 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,000 Speaker 1: mother of the tribe. That's crazy, like, not gonna happen. 374 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: You can't marry her at cancel a wedding. We're done 375 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 1: with this. I'm not having it. And in response, Seretse said, okay, 376 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: I'm moving up the date several days. He said, oh, 377 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,120 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, do you have a problem with this, Well, 378 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: guess what it's now, what's happening sooner I'm in a 379 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: date or even harder. It's totally Michael Scott moment. Yeah, 380 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: which you can kind of I you know, you can 381 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 1: kind of get because again we're talking about a segregated nation. 382 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,959 Speaker 1: Are white people are so separate and they're so fucking rude. 383 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: You know what? I mean like he's just like, what 384 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: do you think you're doing? Totally understand this is crazy. 385 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't. I just don't want it to 386 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 1: seem like he was being really discriminatory or something. I 387 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 1: think it makes a lot of sense that he was like, 388 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: this seems like a nuts thing to do, and it's 389 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: going to cause a lot of problems given their experience. Absolutely, 390 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: Like you could see where he's like, well, if we 391 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: break this seal, the next thing, you know, the white 392 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: people are going to come flooding in Andy. When white 393 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: people come in, they take what they want. So I 394 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: didn't think about it like that, but yeah, you can 395 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 1: kind of see his his hesitation. It's it's tough because 396 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: he's telling two people who love each other they can't 397 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 1: get married. Um, but you can you can understand where 398 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,120 Speaker 1: he's coming from, giving the circumstances that they're living in. Yeah, 399 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: but they did get married on September. Ruth didn't even 400 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: tell her parents about Sirett, say until after the wedding. 401 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 1: She's like, let me present you with a done deal. 402 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: And they cried about it because because they suck I 403 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,360 Speaker 1: guess white tears and her friends, if you can call 404 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,880 Speaker 1: them that actually snubbed her in the streets after so 405 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: a lot of bullshit, people being jerks. Yeah in nts 406 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:21,200 Speaker 1: flew back to best you want to land to talk 407 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: to the tribe, because Seketti is like, there's there's a 408 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 1: whole split in the tribe. Now. Some people are with you, 409 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: some are against you. We need to work this out. 410 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: It's causing a lot of strife. So they held this 411 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: big town hall with six thousands of the elders of 412 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: the tribe, and Zeketti made his argument against the marriage. 413 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: I love this idea, and also, can you imagine a 414 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: town hall of six thousand of our elders trying to 415 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: get anything done? Never never seems more productive. Continue, Seketti 416 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: made his argument, and some people were like, yeah, totally, 417 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: he shouldn't get to marry this white woman. Um. But 418 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: then Seretsey said, stand up, those who will not accept 419 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: my white wife, and maybe like forty stood up. Some 420 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: sprang up very quickly and defiantly. They were like against. 421 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: And then some of them look a little bit slower, 422 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: kind of hesitant, but they were like, good, guess I 423 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: don't really like it or whatever. And so he counts 424 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: them up and he goes only forty. Now stand up 425 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: those who want my wife and me, and nearly six 426 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:31,719 Speaker 1: thousand rows to their feet, applauding and chanting, Sirettsy, sirettzy, 427 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:37,439 Speaker 1: part of our Red Earth, serettsy Dope. What an awesome moment. 428 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:39,479 Speaker 1: I know. I must have felt good for him to 429 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: be like what I tell you. The tribe does not 430 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: care who the wife is. They don't give a fuck. 431 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: Don't We all just want that moment where everyone stands 432 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 1: at their feet and cheers for us, calls me the 433 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: heart of the red Earth. Yeah, yes, I mean that's 434 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: why I went into the theater. I know, right, someone 435 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: please stand up and just clapped for me once every 436 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: four years, for three nights on one weekend. I think 437 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,160 Speaker 1: it's a good show. Some people clapped a light applause 438 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: and it fed me for hears sated. So Seketty was 439 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: not happy about this loss. But also he was like, okay, 440 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: I lost, Let me step out of the way. And 441 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: he went into voluntary exile and they did totally patch 442 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: things up later. So I think he was gone for 443 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: like two years or something. It was a long time. 444 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: He came back. It was all cool after that. Ultimately 445 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: he was pretty cool. I mean, we talked about how 446 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: he probably had some valid motivation behind his his stance, 447 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: but you know, it seems like the sort of like 448 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,439 Speaker 1: secondary person in power, the guardian kind of character in 449 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: these sort of stories is usually like trying to consolidate 450 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: power and take things to themselves and being like, no, 451 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: don't marry the outside everything. You know, it feels various. 452 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: But that was just not what's going on here. It 453 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,199 Speaker 1: Sketty was actually super cool. He was a good regent. 454 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: He worked on building more school rules, he constructed green silos, 455 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: he got water reticulation systems put in, he improved the 456 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: tribes herds of cattle. He even designed like a bunch 457 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: of the reforms that gave the tribal council a place 458 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: in how the tribe was run. So Scatty was a 459 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,440 Speaker 1: cool dude. Yeah, So the reason they were able to 460 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: enter an opinion about this at all was because of him, 461 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 1: And then it happened to be against him, and he 462 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: was like, well, that's what I asked for, asked exactly. 463 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 1: A true good leader will put a position in place 464 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 1: to let other people decide, and when other people decide, 465 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,159 Speaker 1: they'll say, all right, that's what you want them people do, 466 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 1: as long as what the majority of people want isn't 467 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: like oppressive and shitty like when they tried when they 468 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: did a popular vote for gay marriage, which is dumb. 469 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: He put social issues to a popular vote. They don't 470 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: win because people suck. That's why you have to have 471 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:57,920 Speaker 1: protections in place. Um. He also famously clashed with British 472 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: colonial authorities over crime and punish meant in Bechuana Land 473 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:07,160 Speaker 1: because there was this Scottish mechanic living there named Phineas Macintosh. 474 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: And I'm not entirely sure what he did. One source 475 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: said he deflowered so many virgins that all the dads 476 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: were pissed. Another one said that he got into a 477 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: fight with a guy about a girl that he was 478 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: in love with, and then another said he was drunken, 479 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,440 Speaker 1: disorderly all the time and also deflowering virgins. So anyway, 480 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: whatever it was, the guy was making a real nuisance 481 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 1: of himself all right and acting out, and everybody was 482 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,439 Speaker 1: over it and they were like, you need to do 483 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: something about this person's behavior. So they took it too. 484 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: Of course, the bomb Watto chief Saketti and he said, okay, well, 485 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,160 Speaker 1: what we do in our tribe and in Betchuana Land 486 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: is we flog you when you act up. So he 487 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: gave him the regular punishment that anybody else would have 488 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,679 Speaker 1: gotten in this scenario. Um, I don't like flogging as 489 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 1: a punishment personally, but it's not for me to say. 490 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: But the British did not like that. There was their 491 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:04,600 Speaker 1: colonial authority was a guy named Vice Admiral Evans. Oh, 492 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: this guy looks like a Star Wars villain. In my head, 493 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: I think, yeah, he's quite at the same helmet and everything, right, 494 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: Like give him that pith helmet from that guy from 495 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 1: the same mustache, same accent, and the big pants. So 496 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: picture that guy. He found out about this flogging and 497 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: he said, well, by Drove, no native can punish a 498 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: white man. Unacceptable. Somebody get me my riding crop to 499 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: bang against my leg angrily again. So he went. He 500 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,479 Speaker 1: was like, basically like black people don't get to tell 501 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: white people what to do. We tell white people what 502 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 1: to do. So I'm exiling you to Ketty for two months. 503 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 1: But the tribe got so mad about it that England 504 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: quickly reversed course. King George was like, uh, fucking what 505 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 1: did you do? No, no, no, no, that's all we meant. 506 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: We'll just kid and he signed in order to be 507 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:05,159 Speaker 1: like bring them back. And so Evans had to apologize 508 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,679 Speaker 1: to Sketty and be like, yeah, okay, nobody thought this 509 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 1: guy shouldn't be punished. I just didn't like that you 510 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,879 Speaker 1: were doing it. But it's fine. I guess, sorry, my 511 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,200 Speaker 1: bad or whatever. And I'm sure he didn't like doing 512 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: that at all, but this is kind of a good 513 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:23,639 Speaker 1: a little story to explain kind of how ship worked 514 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: out day to day, right, So they were in charge 515 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:28,439 Speaker 1: of law and order. White people may not like it, 516 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: but mostly Britain was like, just let them do their thing. 517 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: It's their country, as they exactly. We're not trying to 518 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: start ship and have their b ship. We don't have 519 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 1: time for that. And that was a pretty formative moment 520 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: for Ceretti as well. He saw that in the British 521 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: justice system there was justice for the Native that they 522 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 1: were able to push back on that and they capitulated 523 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: and the white man was the one who had to apologize. 524 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: I think that was a very unusual thing for Seretzi 525 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: to see happen in his country. So he was definitely 526 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: like Britain's cool. I like I like Britain. They're cool 527 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: with us. I'm cool with you. But yeah. That that 528 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 1: led to Sacchetti stepping down without a fight, realizing he's outvoted. 529 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: But it's time for Seret Say to come home, and 530 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: he's like, you know what, this is cool. After seeing 531 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: that whole interaction with the British, I'm thinking, I can 532 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: bring my wife over and things are going to be great. 533 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: I got the elders were all on board with it, 534 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: and the tribe is cool with it, so Britain should 535 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: totally be cool with it too, right, Why wouldn't Britain 536 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,520 Speaker 1: be cool with this? So Ruth joined him in Bechuana 537 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 1: land In, and her arrival coincided with the best rainfall 538 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: the nation had seen in years, so the tribe started 539 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,479 Speaker 1: calling her the rain Queen. Cool, you come in and 540 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 1: you're the queen, and you get this awesome nickname in 541 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: media right away, not to mention, Like, I mean, if 542 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: I showed up and they started having great rainfall, part 543 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,960 Speaker 1: of me would be like, maybe I am the rain Queen. 544 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: Like damn, I brought the rains. She brought the rains. 545 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:04,719 Speaker 1: D Well, she did bring the rains. She got it. 546 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: She probably didn't I bet patterns did, but would be 547 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: funny if she was, Like I made a rain. Another time, 548 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: as Ruth sat in the shade of an acacia tree, 549 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: hundreds of bomb Watto women started to just kind of 550 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,719 Speaker 1: file by her. They had baskets of corn and pails 551 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: of water on their head, and they were just kind 552 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,360 Speaker 1: of around. And then all of a sudden they rushed 553 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: over to Ruth. They're all singing a song. They placed 554 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: the water in the corn at her feet, and they 555 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: tell her you are the mother of us all. And 556 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: apparently Ceretsie could see this happening from the kitchen window, 557 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: and he smiled proudly and then stunned everyone by continuing 558 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: to wash the dinner dishes, a courtesy he had learned 559 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: from white husbands in England. Mackenzie Porter wrote, and I 560 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 1: feel like there's probably several British wives laughing right now, 561 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: like I wish that my husband had learned that from 562 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: some white husbands in Britain. But whatever, I just realized 563 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 1: that we that's that's a gender normative role that happens 564 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 1: in this house because you wash the dishes, yeah, but 565 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: you could do all the cooking. Well, yeah, that's I 566 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: was gonna say it's totally different because I do all 567 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: the cooking and the shopping and the cleaning in the 568 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 1: picking you up and carrying you to bed. Um, I 569 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: brush your teeth for you. Um, I wash your hair. 570 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: I I walk you around like weekend at Bernie's where 571 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: we go somewhere. I think you're moving my mouth right now. 572 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah, you've been catatonic for eight years. 573 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 1: I'm doing great for catatonice. It bring it out, a 574 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 1: paycheck and everything. Take that, Bernie, I take the trash out. 575 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: That's true. I hate dating the trash out. Anyway. They 576 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: also started to feel out the white people in the 577 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: area because, again Seretsi was like, these are this is 578 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: the problem over here. There was a hotel there that 579 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 1: only white people could go in. And in deference to 580 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: the fact that he was the chief, Sirette Say, had 581 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: they had deigned to serve Sirette Say through a window 582 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: a time or two in the past. Wow, what is 583 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 1: what benevolence? What a concession? My god? Well, you're a king, 584 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 1: so I guess we'll we could toss a bowl out 585 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: for you. Really, we'll pass a pint through the sill. God, 586 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 1: they're the worst. Um. So they were kind of testing 587 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 1: these boundaries a little bit, and so they went together. 588 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: They pull up on the hotel, they walk in together. 589 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 1: The hotel was showing Frankenstein and the wolf Fan, which 590 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: had just come out recently. The movie the movie. Well, 591 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: I don't think they were showing the actual Frankenstein play 592 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 1: or something. All Right, I guess that's possibility. I want 593 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: to see the play. Anyway, they're showing Frankenstein in the 594 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: Wolf Man. Ruth and Seretzy come in and they sit 595 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 1: and watch the movie and then they leave. No big deal, right, 596 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: big deal. The white people fucking miss the movie because 597 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 1: they were so busy. Oh my god, what a black 598 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:19,960 Speaker 1: person the person bla person had a movie. N I 599 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: don't know why I'm not keep looking back. Just look 600 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: at them. It's really distracting me from the movie. And 601 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: they're not doing it I'm doing. After they left, one 602 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 1: white woman said, well, that just about beats everything you 603 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: haven't seen very much. I think you need to get 604 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: out there a little bit more. Everything a black person 605 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: in a movie theater, Well, I've seen it all. Now, 606 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 1: you've seen it all so far. Another time, they went 607 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 1: to this recreation club that was for only white people, 608 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: and they didn't try to like participate in any of 609 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 1: the activities. They just hung out on the field, like 610 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 1: opposite side of the field from all the white people. 611 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: And the local garage proprietor said, gives you a bit 612 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 1: of a shock to see them walking around together like that. 613 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 1: But he's a nice chap. Really, I cannot see that 614 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: the setup is wrong, honestly, I can't cool. Thanks another concession, Yeah, 615 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:15,239 Speaker 1: and just being like, well, this one's okay, you know, 616 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: like that's that's what it reeks of to me. Yeah, 617 00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 1: I'm a racist piece of shit, But there's one person 618 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:24,880 Speaker 1: that I saw once that I didn't hate. Okay, So 619 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 1: you got a problem. So you're a big racist piece 620 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:31,200 Speaker 1: of ship. Yeah. So the tribe is cool. They are 621 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,239 Speaker 1: totally down with Ruth, and the white people are even 622 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:37,400 Speaker 1: kind of they're getting there. They're getting there. So Britain 623 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: is cool too, write end of story. You think. So, No, 624 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:46,200 Speaker 1: Britain is not cool, and we'll find out why right 625 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: after this. All right, welcome back to the show, and 626 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,440 Speaker 1: let's talk about why Britain wasn't cool. You'd think they 627 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 1: would be. Everybody else was fine with it. People seem 628 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 1: to be really happy with these two being married, but 629 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,719 Speaker 1: Britain didn't particularly care except for one small problem. Right 630 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 1: Daniel Milan and his National Party in South Africa had 631 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 1: instituted apartheid in nineteen Apartheid was a white supremacy function. UH. 632 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: It was a legal way to make sure that South 633 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:25,320 Speaker 1: Africa was dominated politically, socially and economically by the nation's 634 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:30,360 Speaker 1: minority white population. This was a type of segregation. Everything 635 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: from social circles and public facilities, employment, housing, this was 636 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: all segregated on racial lines. Segregation is nothing new, but 637 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 1: apartheid was particularly horrible. UH just millions of people forcibly 638 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,560 Speaker 1: ripped out of their homes and made to leave, and 639 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,360 Speaker 1: then those homes were sold at a fraction of their value, 640 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:56,120 Speaker 1: plunging the non white population into poverty, and more than 641 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 1: eighty percent of the land was set aside and only 642 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,440 Speaker 1: available for white people to buy. Non whites needed special 643 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,799 Speaker 1: permits to be in certain parts of the country. Black 644 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,080 Speaker 1: people who tried to defy any of these laws could 645 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:12,640 Speaker 1: be fined, imprisoned, or even whipped, and one of the 646 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: first laws they passed in South Africa was marriage prohibition, 647 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 1: which completely outlawed interracial marriage. So you think, well, that's 648 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 1: South Africa, right, What does this have to do with 649 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: Beshawana Land, Well, they're the neighboring country. And when they're 650 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: trying to float this idea that they'd have a mixed 651 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:35,720 Speaker 1: race ruling couple, South Africa did not like that ship. 652 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:39,719 Speaker 1: Daniel called it now is not no, that's my South 653 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 1: African now siating. How do they talk South Africa such 654 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: a difficult accent to pin down, because I mean, like, 655 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: I know that Leo did a really bad one, and 656 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:53,000 Speaker 1: from what I've heard, I didn't see it anyway. Daniel 657 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: called it nauseating and disgusting. You're nauseating and disgusting, piece 658 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 1: of shit. That's what I would have said. I hope, 659 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:02,439 Speaker 1: I hope that's what I would have said. What they're 660 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: really worried about is that right after passing this law, 661 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: they couldn't have an interracial royal couple living right across 662 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,880 Speaker 1: the border and making them look like fucking idiots and 663 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:16,280 Speaker 1: making their majority black population, you know, even more angry 664 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,000 Speaker 1: about apartheid by looking, you know, right right up north 665 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,600 Speaker 1: and being like, how come we're segregated and split and 666 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: being forced out of our homes? But right there, we're 667 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 1: seeing a black ruler marry a white Londoners. So England sees, 668 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: you know, what's happening in South Africa with them getting 669 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,720 Speaker 1: kind of rabble roused about it, and South Africa actually 670 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,399 Speaker 1: started putting a lot of pressure on Britain to tell 671 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: Sarette Say to abdicate his throne. South Africa also banned 672 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: Sirrette Say and Ruth from coming into the area. And 673 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,600 Speaker 1: this was a big problem because the administrative capital for 674 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,359 Speaker 1: bet Juana Land was in a city called MafA King 675 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,880 Speaker 1: which was located in South Africa. Now might be a 676 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 1: surprise to you that brit And was ready to appease 677 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 1: in apartheid government because most people were not into apartheid. 678 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:08,120 Speaker 1: They were like, this is bullshit. But Britain was ready 679 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:16,040 Speaker 1: to appease because of uranium. Fucking uranium. It's remember, okay, 680 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 1: So the World War two pretty much just ended a 681 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,440 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. Britain is broke as fuck after 682 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 1: the war, and of course they want to make an 683 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,440 Speaker 1: atomic bombs. They can be on even keel with the Americans, 684 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,400 Speaker 1: just like every other major power with everyone was looking 685 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,440 Speaker 1: to make their own atomic bomb after we dropped our two. 686 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: But uranium is not available everywhere. Canada had uranium, but 687 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 1: it was more expensive than South African uranium. Why well, 688 00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,560 Speaker 1: I'll tell you why. Because Canadian miners were paid. They 689 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,239 Speaker 1: were paid well, and so they're uranium was more expensive. 690 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 1: South African uranium miners were black, so they were paid 691 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 1: like shit, and so the uranium was cheaper. And tell 692 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: me your tell me. A bunch of white people got 693 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: cheap labor out of black people, exploited them for it, 694 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: took the profits and didn't pass it on to their labor. 695 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:14,000 Speaker 1: I know it's unusual. They were a product of their time, yeah, 696 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:19,279 Speaker 1: and of current time and of all time all and 697 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:21,880 Speaker 1: South Africa made it very clear to England that if 698 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:26,440 Speaker 1: they wanted to keep purchasing my uranium, you better stop 699 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:29,280 Speaker 1: this marriage, or at least keep this couple far away 700 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:31,799 Speaker 1: from Africa. I don't need them here. We don't need 701 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 1: to be dealing with that. So in nifty, the British 702 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,240 Speaker 1: government asked serett Se to come on back to London 703 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,480 Speaker 1: for chat old boy, and Ruth is like, don't go. 704 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 1: She said she had a premonition that they would keep 705 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,719 Speaker 1: him there. But Sarettse was like, I think it's smart 706 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 1: to go see what they want. I mean there, we're 707 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:53,040 Speaker 1: a protectorate. We have to care about their opinion. I'm 708 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:55,319 Speaker 1: ready to take on my duties again and I need 709 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:58,520 Speaker 1: their support. So he goes. He flies back to London. 710 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 1: She's like, this couldn't be a zoom call. So he 711 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,840 Speaker 1: flies back to London. Ruth did not join him because 712 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: she was pregnant at the time with their first child. 713 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,360 Speaker 1: She wanted to make sure it was born on Bechuana 714 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,520 Speaker 1: land soil, because that is how King's inherited. So she's like, 715 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,400 Speaker 1: if it's a if it's a boy, it has to 716 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:18,520 Speaker 1: be born here or else. It might be a whole 717 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,880 Speaker 1: rigamarole to you know, get him to take over. But 718 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: she was very worried about sarette se leaving and she 719 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,560 Speaker 1: was right to worry. Written informed Serette say that they 720 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:33,760 Speaker 1: had conducted a governmental inquire and found that he wasn't 721 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:38,399 Speaker 1: suited to rule be ch Wana Land. They asked him 722 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:45,280 Speaker 1: to abdicate. Side note this governmental inquiry report was suppressed 723 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,839 Speaker 1: for thirty years. They wouldn't let anybody see it. When 724 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,000 Speaker 1: it finally came out, it said that sarettes was eminently 725 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:59,239 Speaker 1: suitable to rule Wana Land, but for his unfortunate marriage 726 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:04,439 Speaker 1: which may cause strife with apartheid governments. And so yeah, 727 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:06,959 Speaker 1: London was like embarrassed by that ship because it wasn't 728 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,480 Speaker 1: a very good reason to let a guy not marry someone. 729 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,160 Speaker 1: I just do his own thing. It's a kind of 730 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,520 Speaker 1: thing where they knew it was dumb. That's why they 731 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: suppressed it for thirty years exactly. Don't tell him, just 732 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,440 Speaker 1: tell him that it's a bad We don't think you 733 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:21,839 Speaker 1: should do it anymore. Don't tell him why. Yeah, it's 734 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:23,440 Speaker 1: a little bit of a cover up here with this 735 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:29,040 Speaker 1: governmental inquiry. And Sirett says, like, hey, abdication is not 736 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:33,320 Speaker 1: a thing in the Bamangwanto tribe. The bloodline is the bloodline. 737 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,360 Speaker 1: It's inalienable. If I'm king, because I was born to 738 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:38,000 Speaker 1: be king, I'm the king. You don't get to just 739 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:39,800 Speaker 1: say well, I don't want to be king anymore. Somebody 740 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:41,960 Speaker 1: else do it. We don't do that here. I don't 741 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:45,640 Speaker 1: know how y'all do things up in London where apparently 742 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:48,000 Speaker 1: a guy just like, oh, I want to marry a 743 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:51,120 Speaker 1: divoce say okay, I guess I just won't be king anymore. 744 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:55,520 Speaker 1: We don't do that. And so London is like, okay, well, 745 00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: if you're not going to abdicate, then you're going to 746 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:01,160 Speaker 1: have to stay here in England and exile. Oh, Siretsea 747 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:04,040 Speaker 1: had to send Ruth a telegram It said, tribe and 748 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:08,120 Speaker 1: myself tricked by British government stop and banned from the 749 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:15,479 Speaker 1: whole protectorate Stop love seretse, which I talk about conciseness. Hey, 750 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,240 Speaker 1: you gotta paid by the word, I think, right. So 751 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:22,399 Speaker 1: Ruth got that telegram and obviously that means she's going 752 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:25,480 Speaker 1: back to London too, So she comes and joins him 753 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:28,600 Speaker 1: with their daughter, Jacqueline, who was born in bechuana Land 754 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,279 Speaker 1: and they lived in Croydon on sixty pounds a week 755 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:38,360 Speaker 1: from the British government and sixty pounds in his words 756 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:45,120 Speaker 1: checking pounds converter. Oh, I had it set to deutsch 757 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:50,600 Speaker 1: Mark's hang on two thousand one nine pounds today and 758 00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:54,719 Speaker 1: that's about a little under three thousand dollars today a week. 759 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 1: Most pretty good. It's not bad. So they you know, 760 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:00,680 Speaker 1: they weren't trying to beat you because they were just 761 00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 1: being political about it, which is so annoying. It's like 762 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:08,120 Speaker 1: almost worse. It's not really worse, but it's just like oh, 763 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:10,960 Speaker 1: this just seems like such a petty nonsense, you know 764 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,200 Speaker 1: that you would just be even matter that. It's like, 765 00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:16,239 Speaker 1: this doesn't even matter, just let me do what I want. Well, 766 00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:20,600 Speaker 1: the tribe was piste. They were royally pissed about this. 767 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: More than two thousand of the tribe gathered to hear 768 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:27,560 Speaker 1: a woman named Rents Shabo speak out against Serettsa and 769 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: Ruth's exile. And this is apparently one of the first 770 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,000 Speaker 1: times that women had a voice in the tribe like this, 771 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: and she said, since serette Se went away, even the 772 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:42,240 Speaker 1: goats cry all night, we are a dead people. So again, 773 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: this bloodline thing mattered a lot to them, and that, 774 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:47,239 Speaker 1: you know, I think they probably didn't like very much 775 00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:49,120 Speaker 1: the British coming in and telling him who got to 776 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 1: rule them and stuff. Um, So they're just like real 777 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:55,440 Speaker 1: mad about that. They came under the authority at that 778 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,920 Speaker 1: point of the local commissioner from the UK, and they 779 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:03,600 Speaker 1: rioted so touch that the local native police had trouble 780 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:08,160 Speaker 1: restoring order. So the tribe is angry, and also British 781 00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:11,239 Speaker 1: people were angry. British public opinion was very against this 782 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,960 Speaker 1: because they're like, interracial marriage is not illegal here it's 783 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: not illegal there. Who the funk cares what South Africa 784 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:23,239 Speaker 1: cares wants? And why are you capitulating to these racist dicks? Um? 785 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:27,680 Speaker 1: We should not. We we're England with the Empire of England, 786 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:29,719 Speaker 1: like we should be telling them what to do? Right? 787 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:34,919 Speaker 1: Why are we letting them us? Aren't around? Right, Hobbs? 788 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:38,040 Speaker 1: You want to go all right? Hobbes is making a move. 789 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:41,440 Speaker 1: Hobbs has decided he's no longer interested in being in 790 00:44:41,480 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 1: the bathroom. Well, you have to step back, And then 791 00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:46,040 Speaker 1: he opened the door. He's having a hard time figuring 792 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:48,760 Speaker 1: out the mechanics of the door as things are crowded, 793 00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:54,120 Speaker 1: and he goes and sad that we're not following him. Sorry, Bud, 794 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:59,320 Speaker 1: we'll be at in a minute. Boy, I hate closing 795 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:03,959 Speaker 1: the door. SA anyway, go ahead. Well Sores wasn't quiet 796 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:06,520 Speaker 1: about it either. Good for him. He's not about to 797 00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: take this and stride. He gave a speech to eight 798 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,440 Speaker 1: hundred students where he said, I have been banished because 799 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:15,000 Speaker 1: I dared to love and accept the love of a 800 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 1: white woman. And we were talking about this and that 801 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:22,080 Speaker 1: accepted the love is a really big part of it. 802 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:25,439 Speaker 1: Because it wasn't so much that he that a black 803 00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: man loved a white woman. The racism really comes in, 804 00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:34,440 Speaker 1: especially heavily in that he accepted love from her and 805 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: that he didn't know his place is sort of what 806 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:40,640 Speaker 1: I think the South Africans were thinking. I just thought 807 00:45:40,680 --> 00:45:43,799 Speaker 1: it was a really important point because you know, we're 808 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,680 Speaker 1: we're American obviously, so we're coming at this from an 809 00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:49,440 Speaker 1: American point of view, and here we don't have a 810 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:53,760 Speaker 1: great history obviously, and if you think about interracial stuff, 811 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:57,400 Speaker 1: I think that's where And also, you know, Ruth is 812 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:02,120 Speaker 1: experiencing a lot of blowback, more than Seretsey did, even 813 00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:06,640 Speaker 1: in London, and it's it's almost worse that she's this 814 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,360 Speaker 1: race trader than that he is black at all. Do 815 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,000 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. I don't know if I'm 816 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:15,359 Speaker 1: putting that very well, because again, white people are so sensitive, right, 817 00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:19,160 Speaker 1: it's very gross and sucked up. And after he gave 818 00:46:19,239 --> 00:46:21,760 Speaker 1: that speech and left the stage, he was shaking with grief, 819 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,400 Speaker 1: and the crowd was pissed and they got up and 820 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:29,000 Speaker 1: they yelled shame so loud that it shook the rafters, 821 00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:32,760 Speaker 1: and they were shame on the on the British government, obviously, 822 00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:36,200 Speaker 1: not on serets, but on on this decision happening at all, 823 00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:38,560 Speaker 1: I wish they had a bell. They all had a 824 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:43,440 Speaker 1: bell in their hand ding shame, shame, shame, and now 825 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:46,279 Speaker 1: they're all on ted Lasso. Yeah side note, Yeah, that's 826 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:50,040 Speaker 1: Hannah Wattingham from ted Lasso is the shame Sceptive from 827 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:52,319 Speaker 1: Game of Thrones. Blew my mind when we found that out. 828 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:55,319 Speaker 1: That's like, what what a totally because she's so hot 829 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,359 Speaker 1: and ted Lasso and as the shame Scepta, she looked 830 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:03,239 Speaker 1: like her so much, even though I will say I 831 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:07,719 Speaker 1: remember thinking shame stept does kind of and then of 832 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:11,560 Speaker 1: course I fell in love with Rebecca on Lasso and 833 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 1: then found out that the same person. I'm like, yes, 834 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:19,319 Speaker 1: she's amazing, she's got pipes. Anyway, enough about a white 835 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:23,040 Speaker 1: British woman. Let's get back to a different white British 836 00:47:23,120 --> 00:47:25,640 Speaker 1: one woman. But first we will take a quick break 837 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:31,200 Speaker 1: and hear these fine words from our sponsors. Okay, welcome 838 00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:34,040 Speaker 1: back to the show. Where were we? Some people thought 839 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 1: Sirettes had married Ruth as a direct challenge to South 840 00:47:38,239 --> 00:47:42,600 Speaker 1: African policies, but Sirett se denied that. He told mckensey porter, 841 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:45,400 Speaker 1: nor did I marry her to test the integrity of 842 00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:50,080 Speaker 1: British colonial policy. I married her for love. I am 843 00:47:50,239 --> 00:47:53,040 Speaker 1: entitled to the consort of my choice no less than 844 00:47:53,080 --> 00:47:55,800 Speaker 1: I am entitled to the chieftainship of the bamong watto. 845 00:47:56,360 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 1: I shall never give up one for the other. Amen, brother, 846 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:05,200 Speaker 1: you totally are deserve the freedom to choose your bride 847 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:08,360 Speaker 1: and to go take your normal place in the freaking 848 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:14,319 Speaker 1: scheme of things. But none of that swathed the government unfortunately, 849 00:48:15,239 --> 00:48:20,160 Speaker 1: um CERETSI and Ruth were banished for five years under 850 00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:23,720 Speaker 1: the Labor government of clem Atlee, which Winston Churchill called 851 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:30,000 Speaker 1: a disreputable transaction. But interject here, just if y'all heard 852 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:34,000 Speaker 1: our Winston and Clementine Churchill episode recently, which is a 853 00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:36,960 Speaker 1: very cool episode about this couple who fell in love 854 00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:40,440 Speaker 1: and their love helped England and the Allies fight off 855 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,920 Speaker 1: the Nazis, and we're all very glad that that happened, 856 00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:46,600 Speaker 1: of course, um, but we also mentioned that Winston Churchill 857 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:49,680 Speaker 1: did some pretty ship things, especially when it came to 858 00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:54,720 Speaker 1: British colonialism and just being like kind of fucking racist. 859 00:48:55,719 --> 00:48:59,920 Speaker 1: And despite him challenging the Labor government's decision to banish 860 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:03,799 Speaker 1: them for five years. When Winston himself was elected Prime 861 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:08,440 Speaker 1: Minister the second time in ninety one, he extended their 862 00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:12,759 Speaker 1: exile to a lifetime band He said their return would 863 00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:18,080 Speaker 1: be a danger to public order. Man, fuck you Winston's church. 864 00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:21,279 Speaker 1: So he just was saying some ship to make clem 865 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,440 Speaker 1: Atlee look like an idiot at the time, and then 866 00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:27,040 Speaker 1: when he had the opportunity to change it, he was like, no, 867 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:30,480 Speaker 1: it's still politically expedient to do what just exactly what, 868 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:32,960 Speaker 1: Clem did you know what I mean? You mean you're 869 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:36,960 Speaker 1: telling me that the left side of the political spectrum 870 00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:39,279 Speaker 1: would do something and the right would condemn it, and 871 00:49:39,360 --> 00:49:41,239 Speaker 1: then when the right gained power, they would do the 872 00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:44,800 Speaker 1: exact same goddamn thing. The only thing that's wrapped my 873 00:49:44,880 --> 00:49:47,640 Speaker 1: brain around that. The only thing that's missing is that 874 00:49:47,760 --> 00:49:50,439 Speaker 1: clem Atlee or the Labor government didn't come out and say, well, 875 00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:52,680 Speaker 1: what a messed up thing to do? How could you 876 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:57,000 Speaker 1: exile someone? That's the only thing mistic from this little equation. 877 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:01,279 Speaker 1: And this caused even more riots and Shiwana land right 878 00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:03,520 Speaker 1: when the tribe was ordered by the British Commissioner to 879 00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:06,960 Speaker 1: replace siretts, they refused, like guess not how we do 880 00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:09,839 Speaker 1: things down here. We've done told you it's bloodline, bro 881 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 1: we don't just pick some rando to do this. So 882 00:50:13,239 --> 00:50:16,040 Speaker 1: Siretti became very depressed. He had a lot of bouts 883 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:20,319 Speaker 1: of depression um during his exile. Ruth told McKenzie Porter. 884 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,680 Speaker 1: Mackenzie Porter keeps coming up in this because Ruth and 885 00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:27,600 Speaker 1: Sirette say didn't talk to a lot of journalists, big 886 00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:31,799 Speaker 1: surprise journalists were dicks about this story. And Ruth really, 887 00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:36,239 Speaker 1: Ruth particularly really hated it when British governments like incorrectly 888 00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:40,600 Speaker 1: described the African nation of Bashiwana land. They kept like 889 00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:43,400 Speaker 1: calling it either a jungle or like a savannah, and 890 00:50:43,520 --> 00:50:46,120 Speaker 1: She's like, it's a desert, Like it's totally you're wrong. 891 00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:48,680 Speaker 1: You just don't know anything about Africa. And so she 892 00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:51,440 Speaker 1: didn't talk to a lot of reporters. Mckensey Porter was 893 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,520 Speaker 1: like the only person that she ever really talked to. 894 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 1: So there's a really good this article from nineteen fifty 895 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:00,279 Speaker 1: two is a really good, pretty in depth die into 896 00:51:00,320 --> 00:51:04,240 Speaker 1: their story at the time. And so she told mackenzie, 897 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes Sirritsey would just sit in front of 898 00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:10,880 Speaker 1: the fire brooding. Much as I love him more than 899 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:13,359 Speaker 1: the day we were married. I cannot move him. When 900 00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:16,400 Speaker 1: he gets into one of his black moods, there's absolutely 901 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:19,800 Speaker 1: nothing that will snap him out of it. In nineteen 902 00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:24,359 Speaker 1: fifty six, Sirretts and Ruth were allowed to return to Bechuanaland, 903 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:29,320 Speaker 1: but on condition only as private citizens. They were like, 904 00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:33,239 Speaker 1: you can't go back and retake your throne, right. And 905 00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:35,719 Speaker 1: this might be because the tribe sent Queen Elizabeth the 906 00:51:35,760 --> 00:51:39,520 Speaker 1: second a telegram asking for them to be restored, or 907 00:51:39,719 --> 00:51:43,520 Speaker 1: it might be because Winston Churchill realized that it was 908 00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:47,120 Speaker 1: basically a diplomatic necessity to kind of stick it to 909 00:51:47,200 --> 00:51:49,600 Speaker 1: South Africa in some type of way. He's just like, 910 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:53,080 Speaker 1: you know what, this will piss him off, but it's 911 00:51:53,080 --> 00:51:55,879 Speaker 1: not going to piss him off so much that they'll 912 00:51:55,920 --> 00:52:00,320 Speaker 1: stop telling me this uranium right exactly. Probably all timidly. 913 00:52:00,360 --> 00:52:03,120 Speaker 1: It was a combination of those two things, and Serette 914 00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:06,360 Speaker 1: had to renounce his claims to the throne, and he 915 00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:08,839 Speaker 1: decided to go and go back to his roots, become 916 00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:11,160 Speaker 1: a cattle rancher for a little while, but it wasn't 917 00:52:11,239 --> 00:52:14,320 Speaker 1: very successful. There wasn't much money in it. So he 918 00:52:14,440 --> 00:52:17,560 Speaker 1: got involved in local politics and he was elected to 919 00:52:17,640 --> 00:52:20,279 Speaker 1: the Tribal Council as a secretary in nineteen fifty seven. 920 00:52:20,640 --> 00:52:23,080 Speaker 1: It must be weird to go from chief to secretary, 921 00:52:23,239 --> 00:52:25,480 Speaker 1: Like yeah, but you got to imagine he probably had 922 00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:29,400 Speaker 1: a lot of pull, probably had more influence typical secretary 923 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:31,960 Speaker 1: and the tribal council. He was like, how often do 924 00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 1: you think he'd dropped that, Like, well, when I was king, 925 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:39,080 Speaker 1: you know, this is how we did it. And they're like, 926 00:52:39,239 --> 00:52:43,480 Speaker 1: oh god, he's yeah, we we know, Like no, Sirett say, 927 00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:45,880 Speaker 1: we're king, We're all we miss it a lot. But 928 00:52:48,120 --> 00:52:50,480 Speaker 1: but in nineteen sixty one, the British made him an 929 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: Officer of the Order of the British Empire, which was 930 00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:55,600 Speaker 1: a commendation they gave out. It was in recognition of 931 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:58,920 Speaker 1: his service as a tribal secretary. But then in nineteen 932 00:52:59,080 --> 00:53:04,120 Speaker 1: sixty Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous Wind of 933 00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:08,840 Speaker 1: Change speech in Cape Town, South Africa, which is again 934 00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:11,640 Speaker 1: a very famous speech where he was basically telling South 935 00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:14,480 Speaker 1: Africa specifically, but also the rest of the world that 936 00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:18,239 Speaker 1: his government had no intention of blocking the independence of 937 00:53:18,280 --> 00:53:22,120 Speaker 1: African nations. He was like, you know what, we colonize 938 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:24,560 Speaker 1: this whole place and now they want to rule themselves 939 00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:27,120 Speaker 1: and it's happening. There's nothing we can do about it. 940 00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:30,000 Speaker 1: We why why are we standing in the way. Let's 941 00:53:30,080 --> 00:53:32,520 Speaker 1: just get onto the modern age here, and you need 942 00:53:32,560 --> 00:53:34,359 Speaker 1: to come with us South Africa and now you don't 943 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:37,640 Speaker 1: want to, but you need to. And so pretty much 944 00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:41,040 Speaker 1: every African nation that had been colonized or occupied or 945 00:53:41,080 --> 00:53:44,600 Speaker 1: become a territory or protectorate or whatever little word that 946 00:53:44,840 --> 00:53:49,520 Speaker 1: was used for their specific situation, yeah, they were all like, 947 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:51,920 Speaker 1: oh great, let's yeah, let's get on that. I would 948 00:53:51,960 --> 00:53:54,360 Speaker 1: I yes, I would like very much to rule myself 949 00:53:54,560 --> 00:53:57,279 Speaker 1: and not have to free and balance grape to you 950 00:53:57,360 --> 00:54:01,560 Speaker 1: guys who don't even fucking live here. And important to note, 951 00:54:02,120 --> 00:54:06,840 Speaker 1: settled colonies had to actually engage an armed conflict with 952 00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:11,840 Speaker 1: their settlers frequently in some of these African nations. However, 953 00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:15,160 Speaker 1: since Bechuana Land was a protectorate, they had a different 954 00:54:15,320 --> 00:54:19,040 Speaker 1: situation going on with with Britain, and they were able 955 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:23,440 Speaker 1: to do it a totally different way, um much more peacefully, 956 00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:28,160 Speaker 1: and that was by creating political parties and essentially building 957 00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:32,040 Speaker 1: their politics. Creating parties, you know something London can get behind. 958 00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:36,279 Speaker 1: They're like, I get this yes parties, and the first 959 00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:39,680 Speaker 1: big political party to agitate for independence was called the 960 00:54:39,719 --> 00:54:43,400 Speaker 1: Bechuana Land People's Party or the b p P, and 961 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:47,440 Speaker 1: they wanted a government with no social, tribal, racial, religious, 962 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:52,400 Speaker 1: ethnic or language discrimination. They wanted one man, one vote elections, 963 00:54:52,800 --> 00:54:57,880 Speaker 1: and they wanted immediate independence from Britain. All in on this, 964 00:54:58,160 --> 00:55:02,120 Speaker 1: except for the immediate dependence that felt kind of quick. 965 00:55:02,239 --> 00:55:05,200 Speaker 1: He thought they needed sort of an orderly transition, uh 966 00:55:05,360 --> 00:55:07,920 Speaker 1: and like we would set a timeline be able to 967 00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:10,759 Speaker 1: write a constitution. You know, let's get our ducks in 968 00:55:10,800 --> 00:55:13,480 Speaker 1: a row before we just cut off, you know, the 969 00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:16,400 Speaker 1: people who have been kind of handling that aspect of 970 00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:19,120 Speaker 1: our government. And he was a little worried about sort 971 00:55:19,160 --> 00:55:22,239 Speaker 1: of how radical the BPP was, just kind of their 972 00:55:22,400 --> 00:55:26,080 Speaker 1: extremeness in some of their views. So he formed the 973 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:29,600 Speaker 1: Best Chowana Land Democratic Party or the b DP. In 974 00:55:30,880 --> 00:55:33,960 Speaker 1: it was Seretsea and quit Maazir, who was a former 975 00:55:34,040 --> 00:55:36,960 Speaker 1: journalist and a farmer. They wrote the constitution together and 976 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:39,520 Speaker 1: they launched the party in nineteen sixty two. Serette was 977 00:55:39,560 --> 00:55:42,160 Speaker 1: the president of the party and Mazir was the secretary, 978 00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:44,880 Speaker 1: and they had a former trade unionist as their vice president, 979 00:55:45,280 --> 00:55:47,800 Speaker 1: and they ran a united and well organized party and 980 00:55:47,840 --> 00:55:50,640 Speaker 1: that enabled them to take advantage of all the splits 981 00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:53,120 Speaker 1: that were within the b p P and they then 982 00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:56,480 Speaker 1: became the dominating political faction. Yeah, it's a lot of 983 00:55:56,520 --> 00:55:58,800 Speaker 1: infighting in the BPP about who would be in charge 984 00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:00,400 Speaker 1: and so on and so forth. They did not have 985 00:56:00,520 --> 00:56:04,959 Speaker 1: that problem, probably partly to your point about the fact 986 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:08,440 Speaker 1: that Seretse had a bloodline. So I think it was 987 00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:10,799 Speaker 1: probably pretty easy for them. Well, obviously you're the you're 988 00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:13,400 Speaker 1: the president of the party, you should be in charge, 989 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:16,680 Speaker 1: whereas the BPP did not have that. Everybody was very 990 00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:18,480 Speaker 1: equal and so they were like, well, why should you 991 00:56:18,560 --> 00:56:22,000 Speaker 1: be heady? So yeah, I think that probably was a 992 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:24,800 Speaker 1: lot of weight for that. He started negotiating with the 993 00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:28,760 Speaker 1: local regional commissioner and in nineteen sixty five at Hwana 994 00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:33,719 Speaker 1: Land held their first elections, Seretse's party dominated. They won 995 00:56:33,840 --> 00:56:35,640 Speaker 1: twenty eight out of the thirty one seats in the 996 00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:39,759 Speaker 1: new legislature and Seretse became the Prime minister and the 997 00:56:39,840 --> 00:56:42,040 Speaker 1: BPP won the other three by the way, so they 998 00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:46,960 Speaker 1: were the opposition party and under his leadership as Prime Minister, 999 00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:51,520 Speaker 1: they were granted full independence in nineteen sixty six and 1000 00:56:51,680 --> 00:56:55,360 Speaker 1: he was elected the first president of Botswana. So he 1001 00:56:55,719 --> 00:56:57,680 Speaker 1: kind of did get his thrown back in a way, 1002 00:56:58,360 --> 00:57:00,440 Speaker 1: in fact more because he would have just been the 1003 00:57:00,480 --> 00:57:03,759 Speaker 1: chief of the Bamangwato tribe specifically, and now he's in 1004 00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:06,800 Speaker 1: charge of the whole place. So wayna go, Sarett s 1005 00:57:07,400 --> 00:57:10,080 Speaker 1: way to come back strong. And this is when they 1006 00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:14,440 Speaker 1: chose the name Botswana from Beshawana Land and the British 1007 00:57:14,480 --> 00:57:17,840 Speaker 1: Empire also made him a knight, so he was Sir 1008 00:57:18,080 --> 00:57:20,800 Speaker 1: Seretse Kamma. Now at the time that he was elected, 1009 00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:26,040 Speaker 1: Botswana was a world's third poorest country in the w world. 1010 00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:30,440 Speaker 1: Out of all the countries, there's the poorest, the second poorest, 1011 00:57:30,640 --> 00:57:35,560 Speaker 1: and then Botswana. Uh, they had minimal infrastructure. They only 1012 00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:39,120 Speaker 1: had seven and a half miles of paved road, Very 1013 00:57:39,240 --> 00:57:42,600 Speaker 1: few citizens had any kind of formal education. Um they 1014 00:57:42,640 --> 00:57:46,480 Speaker 1: only had twenty two university graduates and a hundred secondary 1015 00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:49,600 Speaker 1: school graduates and the entire population which was something like 1016 00:57:49,720 --> 00:57:54,720 Speaker 1: half a million people or more. Um So Sarre had 1017 00:57:54,760 --> 00:57:57,800 Speaker 1: his work cut out for him to bring Botswana into 1018 00:57:57,880 --> 00:58:00,480 Speaker 1: a modern age and make it truly independent it because 1019 00:58:00,600 --> 00:58:03,680 Speaker 1: you know, they couldn't really pay for ship themselves and 1020 00:58:03,800 --> 00:58:06,040 Speaker 1: how any money. So they still need a lot of 1021 00:58:06,120 --> 00:58:09,120 Speaker 1: help from Britain that you know. But fortunately Sti is 1022 00:58:09,160 --> 00:58:10,920 Speaker 1: a smart guy and he knew the first thing that 1023 00:58:11,040 --> 00:58:14,160 Speaker 1: needed to be worked on was the economy. They needed 1024 00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:18,720 Speaker 1: revenue streams up in Botswana, so he concentrated a lot 1025 00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:22,080 Speaker 1: of his effort on exports that they already had going on, 1026 00:58:22,560 --> 00:58:26,080 Speaker 1: like beef, copper, and diamonds. And I think this is 1027 00:58:26,160 --> 00:58:29,080 Speaker 1: kind of a funny point here. When it was a protectorate, 1028 00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:32,520 Speaker 1: the Brits kind of neglected Betchuana land because they were like, 1029 00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:35,560 Speaker 1: it's not a productive country. Too bad for them, because 1030 00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:41,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty seven enormous diamond deposits were discovered, and 1031 00:58:41,920 --> 00:58:44,640 Speaker 1: now Botswana has one of the largest diamond mines in 1032 00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:49,080 Speaker 1: the world and the second most producing diamond mine. So 1033 00:58:49,240 --> 00:58:51,800 Speaker 1: if they had just looked around a little bit, there 1034 00:58:51,840 --> 00:58:54,080 Speaker 1: would be no Botswana, probably because they never would have 1035 00:58:54,120 --> 00:58:57,080 Speaker 1: given it up. Yeah, it's like I'm gonna sell this 1036 00:58:57,280 --> 00:58:59,959 Speaker 1: old farm land, I used it no more, the grass 1037 00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:03,600 Speaker 1: sol dead, and sell it off to somebody in their life. Holley, 1038 00:59:03,680 --> 00:59:07,040 Speaker 1: what's this black stuff coming out of the ground. I 1039 00:59:07,200 --> 00:59:09,040 Speaker 1: was just trying to dig a well and all this 1040 00:59:09,240 --> 00:59:14,800 Speaker 1: sludgy stuff came up. Oh honey, work trillionaires, I should 1041 00:59:14,880 --> 00:59:22,880 Speaker 1: run for presidents. And that's actually De Beers Jewelers came 1042 00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:27,160 Speaker 1: in to Botswana in nineteen one and they established a 1043 00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:31,840 Speaker 1: fifty fifty deal with the government to open a mine there. Um. 1044 00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:36,400 Speaker 1: So all that really helped seret grow the economy of Botswana. 1045 00:59:36,920 --> 00:59:39,720 Speaker 1: And of course, like now at least, I mean we 1046 00:59:39,880 --> 00:59:44,080 Speaker 1: we can talk in recent years that the many issues 1047 00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:49,160 Speaker 1: with diamond mines and the labor being done there. It's dangerous, 1048 00:59:49,360 --> 00:59:55,040 Speaker 1: it's deadly, and it's paid for ship it's practically slave labor. Uh, 1049 00:59:55,280 --> 00:59:58,160 Speaker 1: it's really horrible. And you know, in recent years that's 1050 00:59:58,160 --> 01:00:00,400 Speaker 1: been turning around, you know, to the it where it's 1051 01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:02,720 Speaker 1: even nice to see that Two Beers has been struggling 1052 01:00:03,120 --> 01:00:06,760 Speaker 1: in recent years. But Botswana has been one of the nations, 1053 01:00:07,040 --> 01:00:09,720 Speaker 1: one of the world's leading diamond producers, and it has 1054 01:00:09,960 --> 01:00:13,040 Speaker 1: come under fire for bad conditions. I also read that 1055 01:00:13,560 --> 01:00:16,160 Speaker 1: by fifty their diamond minds are going to run dry. 1056 01:00:16,240 --> 01:00:20,640 Speaker 1: So Botswana is currently transitioning out of diamonds um trying 1057 01:00:20,680 --> 01:00:23,680 Speaker 1: to find other sources of revenue. But we don't know 1058 01:00:23,760 --> 01:00:25,400 Speaker 1: what those conditions as far as we've been able to 1059 01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:27,480 Speaker 1: find in a cursory glance, what those conditions were like 1060 01:00:28,440 --> 01:00:32,320 Speaker 1: diamond minds, I think they're the usual shit conditions because 1061 01:00:32,560 --> 01:00:36,240 Speaker 1: minds are in rural areas. They employ poor people who 1062 01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:40,360 Speaker 1: are desperate enough to do this incredibly difficult and dangerous work. 1063 01:00:41,080 --> 01:00:45,400 Speaker 1: UM normally marginalized of course populations. It's no different in 1064 01:00:45,480 --> 01:00:49,240 Speaker 1: Botswana than it is anywhere. UM. In that way, I 1065 01:00:49,280 --> 01:00:53,480 Speaker 1: don't think it's particularly bad, like like the blood diamondscere, 1066 01:00:55,160 --> 01:00:57,320 Speaker 1: like Leo's accent blood diamond. It's not as bad as 1067 01:00:57,400 --> 01:01:01,320 Speaker 1: Leo's accent blood diamond. Um, as far as I know. Again, 1068 01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:04,640 Speaker 1: I I looked up you know, humans rights violations and 1069 01:01:04,760 --> 01:01:07,200 Speaker 1: these minds and stuff, and I mainly got an overview 1070 01:01:07,240 --> 01:01:11,160 Speaker 1: of diamond minds in general, nothing particularly about Botswana's minds. 1071 01:01:11,520 --> 01:01:14,880 Speaker 1: But even back in the sixties, surettes they knew that 1072 01:01:15,120 --> 01:01:18,760 Speaker 1: minerals were not the only thing. They couldn't be the 1073 01:01:18,880 --> 01:01:20,640 Speaker 1: only thing, you know. He was like, if you rely 1074 01:01:20,720 --> 01:01:24,240 Speaker 1: on one thing, you're playing yourself. So even then he 1075 01:01:24,440 --> 01:01:26,760 Speaker 1: was starting to think about, Okay, we need to we 1076 01:01:26,840 --> 01:01:30,360 Speaker 1: need a tourism industry, we need foreign investment. So he 1077 01:01:30,560 --> 01:01:33,840 Speaker 1: was already you know he was thinking light years ahead, 1078 01:01:33,880 --> 01:01:36,960 Speaker 1: really um, and so I'm glad to hear that they're 1079 01:01:37,120 --> 01:01:41,360 Speaker 1: transitioning away from diamonds and thinking ahead like suretts they 1080 01:01:41,400 --> 01:01:44,280 Speaker 1: would want them to. Serettes also knew that corruption was 1081 01:01:44,320 --> 01:01:47,080 Speaker 1: going to be a huge problem in developing African nations, 1082 01:01:47,320 --> 01:01:49,240 Speaker 1: and he took a lot of measures to prevent it. 1083 01:01:49,640 --> 01:01:53,000 Speaker 1: He promised low and stable tax rates for mining companies. 1084 01:01:53,480 --> 01:01:58,640 Speaker 1: He liberalized trade, He increased personal freedoms. He upheld liberal 1085 01:01:58,760 --> 01:02:02,920 Speaker 1: democracy and non racism. He tried to create a small 1086 01:02:03,160 --> 01:02:06,840 Speaker 1: and efficient public service bureaucracy that was designed to hire 1087 01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:10,880 Speaker 1: workers on merit right. He encouraged mining companies to look 1088 01:02:10,960 --> 01:02:14,280 Speaker 1: for other precious minerals, which led to the discovery of 1089 01:02:14,400 --> 01:02:17,440 Speaker 1: more copper and nickel and coal and all these, like 1090 01:02:17,560 --> 01:02:19,480 Speaker 1: you said, other streams of revenue that came in, so 1091 01:02:19,520 --> 01:02:22,880 Speaker 1: they weren't just relying on one. He also had the 1092 01:02:23,440 --> 01:02:27,680 Speaker 1: government subsidized the cattle industry, so the government handled fencing, 1093 01:02:28,080 --> 01:02:31,640 Speaker 1: veterinary services, and vaccinations, and they also set the prices 1094 01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:34,720 Speaker 1: for the beef in the marketplace, and thanks to Ceretzi's 1095 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:37,880 Speaker 1: negotiations with Europe, they got a much higher price for 1096 01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:41,120 Speaker 1: their beef than other places did, so he was savvy. 1097 01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:45,200 Speaker 1: Oh that's good Botswana beef. You need that good old 1098 01:02:45,240 --> 01:02:48,360 Speaker 1: bus wanna be So between nineteen sixty and nine eighty, 1099 01:02:48,440 --> 01:02:51,600 Speaker 1: Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world and 1100 01:02:51,640 --> 01:02:54,320 Speaker 1: by the mid nineteen seventies they had a budget surplus 1101 01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:58,000 Speaker 1: and they used the money to invest in infrastructure, healthcare 1102 01:02:58,160 --> 01:03:02,360 Speaker 1: and education. Uh He also launched a fundraising campaign to 1103 01:03:02,440 --> 01:03:06,000 Speaker 1: build Botswana's first university, which opened in nineteen eighty two, 1104 01:03:06,360 --> 01:03:08,800 Speaker 1: and his government spent very little on defense because he 1105 01:03:08,920 --> 01:03:12,120 Speaker 1: really wanted to build up this infrastructure in the economy. 1106 01:03:12,200 --> 01:03:15,840 Speaker 1: That's where his focus was. But Siretti played major roles 1107 01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:19,120 Speaker 1: in ending the civil war in Rhodesia and the resulting 1108 01:03:19,200 --> 01:03:23,200 Speaker 1: creation and independence of Zimbabwe, and Botswana also became an 1109 01:03:23,240 --> 01:03:26,520 Speaker 1: important center for anti apartheid activity. They took in a 1110 01:03:26,600 --> 01:03:31,600 Speaker 1: lot of activists fleeing from countries like Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, 1111 01:03:32,000 --> 01:03:36,960 Speaker 1: Namibia and South Africa until apartheid finally ended in nineteen nine. 1112 01:03:37,680 --> 01:03:40,840 Speaker 1: That ship lasted a long time, y'all. So under his leadership, 1113 01:03:40,880 --> 01:03:44,680 Speaker 1: Botswana became one of the most prosperous and stable nations 1114 01:03:44,840 --> 01:03:47,960 Speaker 1: in the continent, and he was easily elected to three 1115 01:03:48,040 --> 01:03:50,960 Speaker 1: more terms, so he ruled the nation from nineteen sixty 1116 01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:53,520 Speaker 1: five until nineteen eighty. And it's not like Ruth was 1117 01:03:53,600 --> 01:03:57,400 Speaker 1: just sitting around herself watching this all go down. She 1118 01:03:57,640 --> 01:04:01,720 Speaker 1: was a highly involved and dive first lady. She also 1119 01:04:01,800 --> 01:04:04,360 Speaker 1: had three more children. They had together, Ian who was 1120 01:04:04,400 --> 01:04:06,680 Speaker 1: born in England in ninety three, and then the twins 1121 01:04:07,040 --> 01:04:11,760 Speaker 1: Anthony and Sacchetti in which is nice they named they name? 1122 01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:15,760 Speaker 1: It was nice. Yeah, it was like they must have 1123 01:04:15,800 --> 01:04:17,760 Speaker 1: patched it up pretty good if they named their kid 1124 01:04:17,840 --> 01:04:21,440 Speaker 1: after him. Ruth also had patched things up with her 1125 01:04:21,520 --> 01:04:24,200 Speaker 1: parents a while back, and they came and they visited 1126 01:04:24,320 --> 01:04:28,120 Speaker 1: the commas off in Botswana, which is great. She became 1127 01:04:28,200 --> 01:04:32,280 Speaker 1: known as Lady Kay the Rain, Lady Kay the Rain Queen. 1128 01:04:32,360 --> 01:04:35,760 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool, right, there's a YouTube star with that 1129 01:04:35,880 --> 01:04:40,680 Speaker 1: name right now, Lady Kay the Rain. And in nineteen 1130 01:04:40,720 --> 01:04:44,360 Speaker 1: seventy nine, Set won his third term as president, but 1131 01:04:44,760 --> 01:04:48,160 Speaker 1: he did pass away in nineteen eighty. It was pancreatic cancer. 1132 01:04:48,320 --> 01:04:51,160 Speaker 1: He was fifty nine years old. He died in his 1133 01:04:51,240 --> 01:04:54,360 Speaker 1: wife's arms at the State House in the new capital 1134 01:04:54,400 --> 01:04:57,800 Speaker 1: of Botswana, Gaberone. His vice president, took over as president 1135 01:04:57,960 --> 01:04:59,960 Speaker 1: and was re elected in his own right in nine 1136 01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:04,200 Speaker 1: teen eight four. Seretse's political party continues to dominate politics 1137 01:05:04,280 --> 01:05:07,240 Speaker 1: there today. We'll say that I have read that they're 1138 01:05:07,240 --> 01:05:10,600 Speaker 1: getting increasingly authoritarian. So I'm not sure of the current 1139 01:05:10,640 --> 01:05:15,040 Speaker 1: politics of Botswana, but cursory glance suggested that maybe it's 1140 01:05:15,080 --> 01:05:17,280 Speaker 1: not great, but it's a good thing to see too 1141 01:05:17,400 --> 01:05:19,960 Speaker 1: that the opposition party there is gaining more and more 1142 01:05:20,080 --> 01:05:23,880 Speaker 1: seats throughout the years, because as when Seretse was alive, 1143 01:05:24,320 --> 01:05:28,400 Speaker 1: it was the BDP period, like they were always majority 1144 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:31,480 Speaker 1: as far as I can remember, Um, but now it's 1145 01:05:31,520 --> 01:05:34,840 Speaker 1: getting a little more even. It's getting there. And two 1146 01:05:34,920 --> 01:05:38,280 Speaker 1: of his sons, Ian and Sacchetti both became prominent politicians. 1147 01:05:38,880 --> 01:05:41,560 Speaker 1: Ian was elected President of Botswana in two thousand eight 1148 01:05:41,640 --> 01:05:46,080 Speaker 1: and again after Siretse died. Um Ruth lived on a 1149 01:05:46,160 --> 01:05:48,880 Speaker 1: big farm. She dedicated her time to her children and 1150 01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:52,160 Speaker 1: grandchildren as well as charitable work. She became the president 1151 01:05:52,200 --> 01:05:55,280 Speaker 1: of the country's Red Cross and a lot of people 1152 01:05:55,360 --> 01:05:57,720 Speaker 1: thought that she would go back to London after he died, 1153 01:05:58,000 --> 01:06:00,120 Speaker 1: but they didn't know about Ruth. I guess because as 1154 01:06:00,200 --> 01:06:02,720 Speaker 1: she said, I am completely happy here and I have 1155 01:06:02,880 --> 01:06:05,320 Speaker 1: no desire to go anywhere else. I've lived here for 1156 01:06:05,440 --> 01:06:07,680 Speaker 1: more than half my life and my children are here. 1157 01:06:08,120 --> 01:06:11,640 Speaker 1: When I came to this country, I became a Matswana, which, 1158 01:06:11,840 --> 01:06:15,280 Speaker 1: by the way, is the singular version of a person 1159 01:06:15,440 --> 01:06:21,440 Speaker 1: from Botswana. So plural is Swanna or Batswana, singular is Matswana. 1160 01:06:22,320 --> 01:06:26,400 Speaker 1: Ruth herself died of throat cancer in two thousand two 1161 01:06:26,640 --> 01:06:29,840 Speaker 1: at seventy eight years old, and she is buried in 1162 01:06:29,920 --> 01:06:33,280 Speaker 1: Botswana next to her husband. A movie came out about 1163 01:06:33,320 --> 01:06:35,560 Speaker 1: them in two thousand and sixteen, and we haven't seen it, 1164 01:06:35,640 --> 01:06:39,000 Speaker 1: but it's called A United Kingdom. Is played by David O. 1165 01:06:39,120 --> 01:06:43,760 Speaker 1: Yellow Oh and Ruth was played by Rosamond Pike. Pretty good. Yeah, 1166 01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:46,040 Speaker 1: we assume, I don't know, I would seen it. No, 1167 01:06:46,280 --> 01:06:49,240 Speaker 1: but that's a good actress anyway, and could have been 1168 01:06:49,520 --> 01:06:54,800 Speaker 1: could have been somebody lamer Uh. Well that's a beautiful story. Yeah. 1169 01:06:55,000 --> 01:06:59,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, literally changed the map of of Africa because 1170 01:06:59,600 --> 01:07:03,640 Speaker 1: he into Mary Oh, a white lady, changed the world. 1171 01:07:04,080 --> 01:07:06,680 Speaker 1: And again a great story about two people who really 1172 01:07:06,680 --> 01:07:10,240 Speaker 1: loved each other. Who's who they themselves, you know, didn't 1173 01:07:10,320 --> 01:07:13,680 Speaker 1: opt to do anything outrageous or world changing, but just 1174 01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:17,920 Speaker 1: the circumstances that their relationship existed in the two people 1175 01:07:18,000 --> 01:07:21,280 Speaker 1: loved each other and that changed everything. And that's such 1176 01:07:21,320 --> 01:07:22,800 Speaker 1: a cool thing to kind of see over and over 1177 01:07:22,840 --> 01:07:26,240 Speaker 1: again in this show. For all the John Lorraino Bobbitt's, 1178 01:07:26,600 --> 01:07:29,200 Speaker 1: for all the you know, Steve Martin's swindle in the 1179 01:07:29,320 --> 01:07:33,080 Speaker 1: Dating Games, for all the uh you know, for all 1180 01:07:33,120 --> 01:07:37,320 Speaker 1: the wacky, ridiculous stories about absurd people doing dumb things, 1181 01:07:38,480 --> 01:07:41,040 Speaker 1: We've told so many stories about two people who just 1182 01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:45,000 Speaker 1: loved each other and it changed the world, you know, 1183 01:07:45,200 --> 01:07:47,880 Speaker 1: or at least a community. It does something. It has 1184 01:07:47,920 --> 01:07:51,360 Speaker 1: a resounding impact, the power of love. Somebody ought to 1185 01:07:51,400 --> 01:07:53,640 Speaker 1: write a song about that. Who could put it into 1186 01:07:54,160 --> 01:07:59,120 Speaker 1: put it into words? Only the greatest. Hey, speaking of 1187 01:07:59,240 --> 01:08:02,880 Speaker 1: Steve Martin, we have a little tiny update about Steve 1188 01:08:02,960 --> 01:08:06,800 Speaker 1: Martin and the Dating Game episode that we did, if 1189 01:08:06,800 --> 01:08:09,840 Speaker 1: anyone remembers, we talked about one of the contestants was 1190 01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:14,920 Speaker 1: named Rodney Alcola. He was a serial killer and uh 1191 01:08:15,080 --> 01:08:18,639 Speaker 1: we talked about him presenting his lady with a dozen 1192 01:08:18,680 --> 01:08:25,040 Speaker 1: red flags. Um, well, he just died today. As where 1193 01:08:25,479 --> 01:08:27,439 Speaker 1: the day that we're recording list anyway, not the day 1194 01:08:27,479 --> 01:08:32,080 Speaker 1: that you're hearing it. He died on Saturday, June awaiting 1195 01:08:32,120 --> 01:08:36,400 Speaker 1: execution for one of his murders. Yeah, I sentence you 1196 01:08:36,520 --> 01:08:39,680 Speaker 1: to death by time. Yeah, which I've said to you. 1197 01:08:40,800 --> 01:08:42,720 Speaker 1: I've always tell I always tell Eli, I'm going to 1198 01:08:42,800 --> 01:08:49,720 Speaker 1: kill you one day from old age, I'm gonna it's 1199 01:08:49,720 --> 01:08:56,040 Speaker 1: a little closer. Well. Um, I'm super excited to bring 1200 01:08:56,120 --> 01:08:58,719 Speaker 1: this story to you all. I hope you enjoyed it. Yeah, 1201 01:08:58,760 --> 01:09:02,360 Speaker 1: I didn't know ship about Botswana. Um, I know very 1202 01:09:02,400 --> 01:09:06,519 Speaker 1: little about Africa as a whole, especially the different nations 1203 01:09:06,560 --> 01:09:08,559 Speaker 1: and how they had to get out of the colonial 1204 01:09:08,680 --> 01:09:11,560 Speaker 1: settlements and all that stuff. Like, I just knew that 1205 01:09:11,680 --> 01:09:15,960 Speaker 1: it was a lot of chaos in in Africa, and 1206 01:09:16,240 --> 01:09:18,200 Speaker 1: that was like it that I knew. So it was 1207 01:09:18,280 --> 01:09:21,120 Speaker 1: really cool to really take a dive into one of 1208 01:09:21,160 --> 01:09:24,719 Speaker 1: these countries and and get more context. Really, we should 1209 01:09:24,800 --> 01:09:28,439 Speaker 1: all know more about the non Western world than we do. Um. 1210 01:09:28,760 --> 01:09:31,479 Speaker 1: So I hope we brought some some education to you 1211 01:09:31,560 --> 01:09:35,040 Speaker 1: all today and some interest in this. I've definitely am 1212 01:09:35,120 --> 01:09:37,360 Speaker 1: looking forward to diving into more of this kind of 1213 01:09:37,400 --> 01:09:39,960 Speaker 1: story in this history. Yeah, somebody sent me a good 1214 01:09:40,000 --> 01:09:43,040 Speaker 1: couple from like Djibouti or something. Yeah, we have been 1215 01:09:43,760 --> 01:09:46,920 Speaker 1: trying to dig up more stories from other continents and 1216 01:09:47,479 --> 01:09:49,840 Speaker 1: we're finding some cool stuff. Well, thanks so much for 1217 01:09:49,920 --> 01:09:53,000 Speaker 1: tuning in, everybody, and we're happy to have you. You 1218 01:09:53,120 --> 01:09:57,080 Speaker 1: can always find us on the social media Twitter and Instagram. 1219 01:09:57,160 --> 01:10:00,360 Speaker 1: I'm at Oh Great, it's Eli. I'm at Dianamite Boom. 1220 01:10:00,840 --> 01:10:03,599 Speaker 1: And you can reach out to us about the show 1221 01:10:03,720 --> 01:10:07,040 Speaker 1: directly if you like, on our handle at riddic Romance 1222 01:10:07,280 --> 01:10:09,960 Speaker 1: on Twitter and Instagram as well. Yeah, and there's lots 1223 01:10:10,040 --> 01:10:12,240 Speaker 1: of fun memes that we share and stuff, so you 1224 01:10:12,240 --> 01:10:15,880 Speaker 1: should follow us and then our email is Romance at 1225 01:10:15,920 --> 01:10:18,840 Speaker 1: iHeart media dot com. And don't forget to leave us 1226 01:10:18,880 --> 01:10:21,840 Speaker 1: a review on Apple Podcasts. Leave us some stars, tell 1227 01:10:21,920 --> 01:10:24,960 Speaker 1: us some things. We love to see them, and we 1228 01:10:25,080 --> 01:10:28,679 Speaker 1: will see you all next time. Can't wait so long, friends, 1229 01:10:28,760 --> 01:10:32,439 Speaker 1: It's time to go. Thanks so listening to our show. 1230 01:10:33,000 --> 01:10:36,080 Speaker 1: Tell your friends name's uncle s Indance to listen to 1231 01:10:36,200 --> 01:10:37,920 Speaker 1: our show Ridiculous Role Nance