Discover
The identity of the nation
Botswana is a nation of plateaus and savannas in the heart of Southern Africa, with about 2.6 million people spread across a vast, sparsely populated territory. The capital is Gaborone, and English shares daily life with Setswana, the mother tongue of the majority. Known for political stability and one of the most solid democracies on the continent, the country turned diamond revenue into roads, schools and services, rising from extreme poverty to middle income in just a few decades.
The Christian faith is predominant: most of the population identifies as Christian, the fruit of more than a century and a half of the gospel among the Batswana. Historic churches, African independent communities and evangelical congregations coexist in the cities and villages. At the same time, traditional Setswana beliefs remain alive in the people’s imagination, especially the veneration of ancestors, the badimo, seen as intermediaries between the living and Modimo, the supreme Being.
This meeting of worlds produces a strong mixing of religions: many who profess the Christian faith still turn to ancestral rituals at births, weddings and funerals, seeking protection and blessing from those who have passed on. Cattle, more than wealth, carry spiritual and social value, and the land and the home are held as sacred. To understand the people of Botswana is to understand this tension between the God proclaimed in the churches and the spirits worshipped in the courtyards.
Some groups remain little reached, such as the Kalanga in the northeast, and the San, hunter-gatherers among the oldest of humanity, who live on the edges of the Kalahari Desert and face social marginalization. Some local languages still have no Bible translation. The missionary challenge in Botswana is less about access and more about depth: bringing the gospel to the roots of the culture, where the Christian faith still coexists with the fear of the ancestors.
It is a nation marked by peace, hospitality and the value of botho, the humanity that recognizes itself in the other. Upon this people rests a call to true discipleship, to mature churches that offer in Christ the security many seek in the spirits, and to care for the forgotten peoples of the Kalahari sands.
- 1885 Britain establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate, at the request of the Batswana chiefs, to contain the expansion of neighboring powers.
- 19th century Missionaries bring the gospel to the Tswana kingdoms; Christianity takes root with Khama III and other leaders.
- 1950 The marriage of Seretse Khama to the British woman Ruth Williams sparks a crisis; he is exiled by the British.
- 1956 Seretse Khama returns with broad popular support and the independence movement gains strength.
- 1966 On September 30, Botswana becomes an independent republic, with Seretse Khama as its first president.
- 1970s-80s The discovery of diamonds funds the transformation of one of the world's poorest nations into a middle-income economy.
- 2024 For the first time in 58 years, the opposition wins the elections; Duma Boko takes office in a peaceful transfer of power.
- Today A stable, majority-Christian democracy, with challenges of religious mixing, inequality and little-reached peoples in the Kalahari.
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Englishofficial, used in government, commerce and education
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Setswananational language, spoken by the majority of the population
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Kalangaspoken in the northeast, second largest group in the country
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San languagesspoken by the peoples of the Kalahari, several endangered
Botswana is a landlocked country on the Southern African plateau, dominated by the Kalahari sands, which cover more than two thirds of the territory. Despite the dry climate, it holds some of the continent's greatest natural spectacles: the Okavango Delta, an oasis of water in the middle of the desert, and the Chobe River, a route for great herds of elephants.
Major cities
- GaboroneCapital and largest city, political and economic center
- FrancistownSecond largest, former gold town in the northeast
- MaunGateway to the Okavango Delta
- KasaneAccess to the Chobe River and the wildlife of the north
Climate and temperature
Seswaa
Salted, shredded meat slow-cooked in an iron pot, the national dish served on special occasions.
Bogobe
Porridge of sorghum, maize or millet; when fermented it turns sour and is called ting.
Morogo
Sauteed wild green leaves, the African spinach that accompanies almost every meal.
Lagartas de mopane
Dried, protein-rich mopane caterpillars, gathered after the first rains, a traditional delicacy.
Magwinya
Fried dough balls, eaten at breakfast or as a street snack.
Understand
Culture and spirituality
2a · The culture
Botho
The humanity that recognizes dignity in the other, the foundation of Setswana courtesy and community life.
Value of cattle
More than wealth, cattle carry emotional, social and spiritual weight among the Batswana.
Respect for ancestors
The badimo are seen as guardians of the family and intermediaries before Modimo.
Decisions through dialogue
The kgotla, a community assembly, gathers the people to deliberate and settle disputes.
Hospitality
Visitors are welcomed with calm and generosity, even in the simplest villages.
- Dismissing traditions and the ancestors For the people, they are a sacred part of family identity; treat them with respect.
- Rushing conversations and decisions Patient dialogue, in the style of the kgotla, is valued more than haste.
- Treating the San peoples with superiority They are an ancient, marginalized people; dignity and partnership matter more than pity.
- Belittling the value of cattle Ignoring their cultural weight sounds like contempt for the very life of the Batswana.
- Cold formality Warmth and careful greetings open doors; coldness creates distance.
2b · The field
Areas of spiritual battle and cultural captivity to cover in prayer. Tap each point to understand:
The veneration of the badimo divides the heart between Christ and the spirits of the departed.
The Christian faith blends with ancestral rituals at births, weddings and funerals.
The dread of offending the dead governs many decisions and keeps people in bondage.
Traditional healers and occult practices are still sought for protection and healing.
Rapid prosperity can shift trust from God to wealth.
Mineral revenue does not reach everyone; poverty persists alongside plenty.
Peoples of the Kalahari remain forgotten, without full access to the gospel and citizenship.
Many profess Christianity without discipleship, a shallow faith before the pressures of the culture.
Alcohol abuse wounds families and communities in several regions.
The epidemic left deep marks of grief, orphanhood and stigma.
Botswana is one of Africa’s freest nations in religious matters. The constitution guarantees freedom of belief, and Christians can gather, evangelize and live out their faith without state restrictions. There is no organized persecution or systematic violence against the church, and relations between the different confessions are peaceful.
The country’s spiritual challenges come not from hostility but from within: the mixing of religions with traditional beliefs, faith in name only and the social pressure of ancestral traditions. Where the Christian faith is still shallow, fear of the spirits and veneration of the ancestors compete with surrender to Christ. The field is open; the need is for depth, discipleship and reaching the peoples on the margins.
The persecution score runs from 0 to 100: the higher it is, the greater the pressure on Christians.
Botswana has a Christian majority, but some peoples remain little reached by the gospel. The Kalanga, the second largest group, in the northeast, and the San, hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari among the oldest of humanity, are among those most in need of access. Some local languages still await Bible translation, and syncretism with ancestral beliefs is the greatest challenge to the depth of the faith.
- 7K Unreached 0,3%
- 95K Minimally reached 3,8%
- 162K Superficially reached 6,5%
- 2M Partially reached 78,7%
- 270K Significantly reached 10,8%
- 1 Unreached 2,2%
- 8 Minimally reached 17,8%
- 1 Superficially reached 2,2%
- 29 Partially reached 64,4%
- 6 Significantly reached 13,3%
Source of people group data: Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net). Estimates, may vary.
Sul-Asiático
Deaf Frontier
Source: Joshua Project. Estimates, may vary.
Pray
Intercede for this nation
Every nation carries a redemptive purpose. Marks that seem woven into the identity God desires to restore:
Go
Practical details for those who want to go
Local time
Cost of living
lower than in major Western cities
Cost by city
Reference values (source: Numbeo). Confirm before traveling.
Practical points for those who go
- English covers daily life in the cities, but learning greetings in Setswana opens the people's hearts.
- Set aside time and patience: relationships and conversations should not be rushed.
- Treat ancestors and traditions with respect when speaking of faith, without mockery.
- Bring protection against sun and heat and prepare for long distances between cities.
- The local currency is the pula; carry cash when leaving urban centers.
Send and sustain
Not everyone goes, everyone takes part
Not everyone goes. Everyone takes part.
Behind every worker among these peoples stands a network of people who pray without ceasing, care for the family left behind, and faithfully sustain the work. Sending is mission too.
Start with your church: introduce this nation, adopt it in ongoing prayer, and walk alongside those God is raising up to go.